Saving a service definition for raster data

Using ArcGIS Desktop, you can create a service definition that can be uploaded and published to ArcGIS Server at a later time.

The service definition is a zipped file that contains all of the information needed to publish the service definition as a service. Information about service properties, service type, and data references, are zipped up into one file that can be published to your server.

1. Open the Catalog window (or ArcCatalog).
2. Navigate to and right-click the dataset and click Share As Image Service.
3. Choose Save as a service definition file and click Next.
4. If you know what server you'll be publishing from, then click Choose a connection and select one from the drop-down list; otherwise, click No available connection.

   If you choose No available connection, you can check the option to include the data in the service definition. However; when working with imagery this is not recommended with large amounts of data. It is best to make sure the data is shared or replicated on the server. For more information, see Key concepts for sharing an image service.

5. Optionally, enter a new name for the service.

   The name cannot be more than 120 characters long and can contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.

6. Click Next.
7. By default, the service definition will be saved in a default location on your computer. You may want to change this location.
8. Click Continue.

   The Service Editor displays. You'll use the Service Editor to choose what users can do with your image service and take fine-grained control of how the server will expose your image service.

   For information on specific parameters and capabilities, see Image services and their capabilities.

9. In the left pane of the Service Editor, click Item Description and enter a summary, tags, and description for your image service.
10. In the Service Editor, click Analyze .

    This examines your dataset to see if it can be published to the server. Results are displayed in the Prepare window. You must fix the errors using the Errors button before you can publish the image service. For more information about resolving these issues, see Analyzing your GIS resource.

    Tip:

    To give yourself more viewing area, click the Collapse button at the top of the Service Editor.

11. Optionally, in the Service Editor, click Preview .

    This can give you an idea of how your data will look when viewed on the web. See Previewing your map for more information.

12. Once you've fixed the errors, or if no errors appear, click Stage.