Using Snap tool with iterator in ModelBuilder?

Question

I have a folder containing large number of shapefiles that I would like to snap to a surrounding buffer.

I need to snap UK district boundaries to 500m buffer around coastline. I have produced 200m buffer inside UK coastline to reduce number of features and their vertices that I try to snap. I also simplified polygons a bit. I've been running Snap Tool for 24h and it is still running.

I was thinking to split my feature class with districts into separate shapefiles for each polygon (total (753 polygons) and then snap them (to edges, distance 1000m) one by one as the Snap Tool work just fine with single polygons. I wanted to use iterator and the Snap tool in ModelBuilder, however it does not work. I am splitting my feature class in separate shapefiles and saving them in Shapefile folder (and that works fine). Next I would like to take each shapefile snap it to Buffer and then merge all snapped files back together.

I do not have much experience with iterators and I am having trouble to get correct output

Is there any other way to have coastal districts snapped to 500m buffer?

Answer 1

I think the logic of this model is flawed; everything in a model with an iterator is executed, this includes anything feeding into the iterator. So for example if your split tool is generating 100 shapefiles in the output workspace then the iterator will execute 100 times which will cause the split tool to execute 100 times which is clearly inefficient. I would recommend running the split tool independently or if you must have it in a model at least put the iterator and its subsequent snap tool in a sub-model.