An Internal Guide to

ArcGIS Enterprise
Terminology
V4

February 2022

Questions? Reach out to:

askArcGISEnterprisePM@esri.com

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Foreword This document will guide you in using correct and consistent terminology for
ArcGIS Enterprise. Whether you are working with a customer on a support
case, presenting on the product at User Conference, or providing a sales
quote, it is important to be familiar and aligned with the information in this
document. Note that this document is internal - for an Esri audience only.

Why is correct and consistent terminology critical?

• Unifies how we talk about products; avoids ambiguity and confusion

• Sets a good precedent for our customers and colleagues
• Makes communication more efficient and effective
• Helps us speak with authority about ArcGIS Enterprise
• Reduces frustration and the time it takes to learn new concepts
• Maintains professionalism by avoiding slang and colloquialisms
• Makes ArcGIS Enterprise approachable, understandable, and easy to
talk about

This guide also applies as we work with our colleagues here at Esri. Even
internal communication should refrain from shorthand or jargon that we
wouldn’t use in front of a customer. It can be hard to switch from internal jargon
to external terminology. Therefore, it’s much easier to just always use correct
form.

The examples in this document cover the most common terms. If you have a
scenario not covered, email askArcGISEnterprisePM@esri.com with links,
screenshots, or a copy of your materials for guidance.

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ArcGIS Enterprise The key to talking about ArcGIS Enterprise is to align your content and
message with your audience. Consider if your audience is more technical or
business-inclined, what their background is, and their level of familiarity with
ArcGIS Enterprise, Esri, and GIS as a whole. The goal is to have your audience
see the value ArcGIS Enterprise can bring to their organization and what
problems it can solve.

Example introduction to ArcGIS Enterprise:

ArcGIS Enterprise is your foundational system for data management,

mapping and visualization, and location analytics. ArcGIS Enterprise
enables you to connect to and share data with anyone, anywhere, on any
device. Running on infrastructure you control, it is software that can be
used in the cloud and on-premises.

If you want to expand on the capabilities of ArcGIS Enterprise, you can say:

ArcGIS Enterprise provides comprehensive functionality for mapping,

imagery, real-time data, big data analytics, and data science. It also runs
the full suite of Esri applications for field data collection, analysis,
operational overviews, and workforce tracking.

Refer to the ArcGIS Enterprise product page when needed. Unless your
conversation is technical, avoid getting tangled up in a component-centric
conversation, as Enterprise is the sum of all of its parts and should be referred
to as such.

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ArcGIS Enterprise When talking about ArcGIS Enterprise, do not use portal and/or server as
replacements for the full product name. It is incorrect to substitute ArcGIS
continued Enterprise with the names of (or short form of) the software components that
can comprise it. It is also important to note that these types of reference are
only relevant to ArcGIS Enterprise on Windows and Linux and not ArcGIS
Enterprise on Kubernetes.

It is also incorrect to use terms like AGS or AGE to refer to ArcGIS Enterprise,
as these are not official acronyms. Similarly, it is also incorrect to use terms like
ArcGIS Enterprise on K8s to refer to ArcGIS Enterprise on Kubernetes, as this
is not an official abbreviation. Acronyms can come across as jargon and
confuse or frustrate audiences who are not familiar with them.

It is important to remember that ArcGIS Enterprise can be — and frequently is

— installed in the cloud. As such, when you are talking about ArcGIS
Enterprise, do not swap the product name with terms like ‘on-prem’ or ‘on-
premises.’

Examples of correct usage:

ü Using ArcGIS Enterprise, you can publish and share your GIS content
with a wide audience.
ü ArcGIS Enterprise on Kubernetes uses microservices and
containerization to provide a cloud-native architecture.

Examples of incorrect usage:

û You can use ArcGIS Online or on prem for mapping and data
management. (Use ArcGIS Enterprise instead).
û When will this AGO capability be in AGE? (Use ArcGIS Online and
ArcGIS Enterprise instead.)

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ArcGIS Enterprise portal The term portal is not a substitute for ArcGIS Enterprise and holds its own
meaning and role in the product.
and Portal for ArcGIS
In most cases, if you are confused whether to use the term ArcGIS Enterprise
portal or Portal for ArcGIS, you should use the term ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
In fact, in many cases, you can just use the term ArcGIS Enterprise (see below
examples).

Unless you are working with a customer on downloading, installing,

configuring, or troubleshooting the software component, you won’t need to
use the term Portal for ArcGIS. Portal for ArcGIS should only be used when
referring to the actual software component that is installed and configured
while deploying ArcGIS Enterprise on Windows or Linux.

Due to ArcGIS Enterprise on Kubernetes’ cloud-native architecture, there

aren’t the individual components (ArcGIS Server, Portal for ArcGIS, etc) that
you find in ArcGIS Enterprise in Windows or Linux.

Once Portal for ArcGIS has been installed and configured in a Windows or
Linux, it activates what is called the ArcGIS Enterprise portal. The Enterprise
portal comes installed as part of ArcGIS Enterprise on Kubernetes.

The ArcGIS Enterprise portal (or Enterprise portal for short) is the primary way
users interact with ArcGIS Enterprise by sharing and discovering content,
creating web maps, apps, and more. You should never qualify the term ArcGIS
Enterprise portal by putting Portal for ArcGIS in parentheses after it.

In no cases should you use the terms such as ArcPortal or ArcGIS Portal – such
components do not exist.

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ArcGIS Enterprise portal Examples of correct usage:
ü You can set a header and footer that displays to all members logged
and Portal for ArcGIS into your ArcGIS Enterprise portal.
continued ü The installer for Portal for ArcGIS can be found on My Esri.

Examples of incorrect usage:

û You can set up groups within Portal for ArcGIS and share content with
others. (Use the ArcGIS Enterprise portal or ArcGIS Enterprise here
instead).

As shown in the example above, not everything that uses the term Portal for
ArcGIS should be changed to ArcGIS Enterprise portal. Often, it is more
appropriate and easier to just say ArcGIS Enterprise.

As an example, communications that refer to both ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS

Enterprise should refer to ArcGIS Enterprise, not Portal for ArcGIS or portal.
Using ArcGIS Enterprise refers to the whole product, similar to the way ArcGIS
Online is a whole product. If you reduce ArcGIS Enterprise to just the term
portal, you are then only referring to a specific part of ArcGIS Enterprise, while
simultaneously referring to the entire product of ArcGIS Online. This can
perpetuate confusion about what ArcGIS Enterprise is and how to talk about it.

Example of correct usage:

ü I have set up distributed collaboration between ArcGIS Online and
ArcGIS Enterprise.

Example of incorrect usage:

û I have set up distributed collaboration between ArcGIS Online and
portal. (Use ArcGIS Enterprise here instead).

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FAQ: Does casing matter when writing the ArcGIS Enterprise portal?
Yes! The correct capitalization is ArcGIS Enterprise portal (portal is lowercase).
ArcGIS Enterprise portal
Can I shorten ArcGIS Enterprise portal to just Enterprise portal?
Yes. When first introducing the term, use ArcGIS Enterprise portal; however,
once the term has been introduced it is fine to use Enterprise portal for short.

What if I can’t tell if I should say ArcGIS Enterprise or ArcGIS Enterprise portal?
When in doubt, say ArcGIS Enterprise. You can also reach out to the ArcGIS
Enterprise product team at askArcGISEnterprisePM@esri.com for one on one help
with your specific use case.

Why does it matter that we don’t always just say Portal for ArcGIS?
Since the release of ArcGIS Enterprise 10.5, the Enterprise portal has been an
integral part of the base ArcGIS Enterprise deployment and is required to fully
configure and use ArcGIS Enterprise on Windows or Linux.

This is the main reason we differentiate is because the role the Enterprise portal
plays has changed with our releases and customers should think of it as part of
their ArcGIS Enterprise deployment.

Where can I see these terms used in practice?

For additional examples, watch this brief video.

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ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Server is a foundational component of ArcGIS Enterprise. It powers
analytical workflows and (in most cases) serves web services. It is important to
server roles get out of the habit of using ArcGIS Server or server as a synonym of ArcGIS
Enterprise — it is part of ArcGIS Enterprise but not a term that encompasses all
that ArcGIS Enterprise provides.

Example of correct usage:

ü ArcGIS Server 10.9.1 will be the last release to include the ArcMap-
based runtime.

Example of incorrect usage:

û We have built our GIS on top of portal and server. (Use ArcGIS
Enterprise instead).

Every ArcGIS Enterprise deployment will make use of ArcGIS Server, licensed
as a GIS Server and configured as a hosting server. Additionally, ArcGIS Server
can be licensed as specific server roles that unlock additional capabilities.
Examples include:
• ArcGIS GIS Server (part of a base ArcGIS Enterprise deployment)
• ArcGIS GeoAnalytics Server
• ArcGIS Image Server

Not all ArcGIS Server roles are based on the ArcGIS Server component. Some
have their own unique installers and licenses associated with them. Examples
include:
• ArcGIS GeoEvent Server
• ArcGIS Knowledge Server
• ArcGIS Notebook Server
• ArcGIS Workflow Manager Server

Be specific about which server role(s) you are talking about in cases where
what you are saying does not apply to all server roles. Do not refer to server
roles as extensions, as this is a different licensing mechanism.
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 Can I just shorten ArcGIS Server to “GIS Server?”
FAQ: It depends on the context. There are different server licensing roles for ArcGIS
Server, one of which is GIS Server. If you always shorten ArcGIS Server to GIS
ArcGIS Server and Server, it will look like you are referring to the licensing role which may not be
server roles your intention. Therefore, when you need to refer to the base software
component, just refer to it as ArcGIS Server, not GIS Server. Or, refer to it as its
server role (Image Server, for example).

What is the difference between server roles and server extensions?

Server roles and server extensions are both capabilities of an ArcGIS
Enterprise deployment, but they are two different terms. Do not use them
interchangeably (example: there is no GeoEvent extension anymore – it is now
a server role).

Server roles refer to the way you have licensed the software, which means that
they bring in new analysis engines and data processing capabilities for ArcGIS
Server, whereas extensions extend capabilities of ArcGIS Server (most
commonly GIS Server).

How and when should I use the term server role?

The term server role does not belong in high level messaging of ArcGIS
Enterprise. At a high level, the license you apply to the software to unlock the
capabilities is not as important as the capabilities they provide. Likewise, try
not to lead with the name of the server role – especially to prospective or new
customers. The server name is meaningless without context. Instead, help
explain what ArcGIS Enterprise can do, in human terms, without getting into
the specifics of software and product names.

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ArcGIS Data In recent years, there has been confusion about the approach to data stores
and data storage as it relates to ArcGIS Enterprise. With the introduction of
Store ArcGIS Data Store, many assumed that this meant everything had to be
migrated or somehow moved to use the ArcGIS Data Store. This assumption is
incorrect. In conversations with customers, we need to continue reinforcing
that the inherent storage within ArcGIS Enterprise (delivered via the ArcGIS
Data Store) can and should be used with your own storage (such as enterprise
geodatabases, folders, and cloud data warehouses) and that they are not in
competition with each other. This is expanded upon in this whitepaper - Data in
ArcGIS: User Managed and ArcGIS Managed.

With that said, we need to continue to use proper terminology when referring
to data storage in ArcGIS Enterprise. There are four types of ArcGIS Data Store:
relational, tile cache, spatiotemporal big data store, and graph store. Even if
known, avoid swapping these terms for their underlying third-party software or
databases, and just refer to them as ArcGIS Data Store (and the type –
relational, tile cache, etc, if necessary).

Do not use abbreviations like STBDS or RDS as these may not be commonly
known or understood by our customer base and can be easily confused with
other acronyms like RDBMS. If misinterpreted, this could completely break
down the message you are trying to send.

Examples of correct usage:

ü After running Aggregate Points, my result is a hosted feature layer with
data stored in the ArcGIS Data Store.
ü The spatiotemporal big data store provides a scalable storage option
to store data archived using GeoEvent Server.

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Cheat sheet Do not say: ArcGIS Online and Portal...
Instead say: ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise…

Do not say: From within Portal for ArcGIS, you can manage users.
Instead say: From within your ArcGIS Enterprise portal, you can manage users.

Do not say: I set up portal-to-portal collaboration between AGOL and Portal.

Instead say: I set up distributed collaboration between ArcGIS Online and
ArcGIS Enterprise.

Do not say: The new functionality in Portal 10.9.1 includes…

Instead say: The new functionality in the ArcGIS Enterprise portal at 10.9.1
includes…

Do not say: There is a new experience for adding content in Portal at 10.9.1.
Instead say: There is a new experience for adding content in ArcGIS Enterprise
at 10.9.1.

Do not say: AGE

Instead say: ArcGIS Enterprise

Do not say: AGS

Instead say: ArcGIS Server (or ArcGIS Enterprise if that’s what you really mean)

Do not say: AGOL

Instead say: ArcGIS Online

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