What are the differences between the various ArcGIS Server options?

Question

This document makes me want to stab my eyes with a fork. Can someone provide a simple summary of the differences between Enterprise vs. Workgroup, and Basic vs. Standard vs. Workgroup? As a bonus, what can I expect to spend on the different options?

Answer 1

Ok, so short and sweet for you without the marketing fluff...

Series:

1. Workgroup - Small groups, no enterprise tools
2. Enterprise - Corporate scale, large toolkit to manage, more overhead needs to manage

Versions:

1. Basic - Pretty much ArcSDE (multiuser database access), not much for other functionality
2. Standard - Same as basic, but add the services for Maps, processing and remote work
3. Advanced - Full range of Standard, plus the extensions as well as Mobile

So for sure Enterprise Advanced is the best, but you pay a premium for it; you really need to think about what you need to do before you pluck down 32+K for 4 cores.

Additional Information

At the workgroup level you are talking 5-10 users, since the Workgroup edition software is running on a MSSQLExpress engine, so you have size and connection limits to the platform.

For the Enterprise tools perspective, you have access to commandline tools for managing ArcSDE to do things like automate functions outside of ArcPy as well as the ability to do things like creating spatial views, and more easily scripting functions on the machines through scheduled tasks. The command line tools of ArcSDE are a major element of being able to manage the larger platform.

Answer 2

How about this: http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgisserver/key-functionality.html

It's similar to a table in the document you mentioned but without all the additional details/fluff.

Answer 3

I got quoted (via email) $60 000 AU for what I wanted to do, if I used ESRI products. I could see myself buying some partner products as well like ENVI EX for at least another $10K.

I think they have to charge this much to pay the sales staff to hold the hands of customers and interpret what the marketing staff have put out there.

If I knew how to post pdfs here I would let you all have a look.... basically I asked for the fullest functionality of a desktop application, no server application required but that seems to be inherent in Arc. I also lost enthusiasm for interpreting what I was actually being offered.

If you put that money into your time with QGIS / PostGIS and put some money on the table for bug fixing we would all be better off, including ESRI, because utlimately the GIS community will grow with a diverse set of tools.

Answer 4

FWIW, here's some pricing information (in USD), provided by the anonymous "chat with a sales representative" on their website. Hopefully ESRI won't send goons to break my kneecaps for posting this.

• Workgroup Basic/Standard/Advanced: $5K/10K/20K
• Enterprise Basic/Standard/Advanced: $10K/20K/40K

Annual maintenance/upgrades/support is included for 1 year, and is roughly 25% of the initial cost each year thereafter; so $10K/year for Enterprise Advanced, etc.

This probably represents the highest pricing levels they have; there are apparently cheaper prices out there, for example on the GSA schedule for US government.

Answer 5

I see from the document that some of my understanding has already changed.
(i.e. it is a moving target)

But for what your asking.

Basic/standard/advanced limits the functionality.

workgroup/enterprise limits the sizing, scaling and #users on the functionality.

advanced ent you get it all (minus extensions not included) for about 40k
basic workgroup you get to publish geodbs under 4GB
for editing by no more than 2 users
or 10 connections (not editing)

advanced workgroup ~ 10k

Advanced ent you get arcgis mobile (This is a product not a functionality)
caveat emptor