Business Analyst data

Available with Business Analyst license.

Many tools and workflows in ArcGIS Business Analyst Pro make use of authoritative Esri data accessed through local or online Business Analyst data sources. The types of data include:

• Demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral data

• Geographic boundaries

• Business and points of interest data

• Street network data

• Geocoding data

• Segmentation data

Each Business Analyst data source is a combination of different types of spatially related data and metadata for a specific country or territory. Some Business Analyst data sources provide only a subset of the data listed above.

Business Analyst data source

Business Analyst tools and workflows use the currently selected data source to perform analyses. Only one Business Analyst data source can be selected at a time, but you can also temporarily switch the data source during a geoprocessing tool session. To learn more, see Select the current Business Analyst data source.

There are two main types of Business Analyst data sources:

• Local datasets—Datasets accessed on a local drive or through a local network path

• Online data—Online GeoEnrichment services accessed through ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise

Local datasets

A local Business Analyst dataset is a set of specially formatted, linked, and licensed data and metadata files. A local dataset is typically a single folder in the file system containing data components and configuration files. To get access to a local Business Analyst dataset, you must copy its files to a single local drive or a shared network folder.

• To learn how to set up a local Business Analyst dataset, see Set up a local Business Analyst dataset.

• If you already have a local Business Analyst dataset set up and want to select it as the data source, see Select a local Business Analyst dataset as the data source.

• All Business Analyst datasets include a Documentation folder containing a variable and report list. You can use the contents of this folder to learn more about the variables in the local dataset.

Online data

When you set the Business Analyst data source to online data, Business Analyst consumes data through a portal connection, using credits. Data is accessed in the following ways:

• GeoEnrichment variables and points of interest data are accessed through the ArcGIS GeoEnrichment Service.

• Streets data is accessed through the ArcGIS Routing service.

• Geocoding data is accessed through the ArcGIS World Geocoding Service.

Online data can work with either ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise. To learn how to access an online GeoEnrichment service, see Select a portal or ArcGIS Online data source.

Semantic search

When searching for variables and points of interest, you can opt to use semantic search, an AI-enhanced smart search technology that provides improved search results. Traditional search engines work by finding exact or partial matches between a search term and variable/point of interest names, descriptions, and keywords. Semantic search supports natural or conversational language, understands the meaning in language and the connections between related words, and returns search results that provide the closest match to the meaning behind your search.

Semantic search is available in the following data-related workflows and windows:

• Points of interest search workflow

• Data browser window

• Enrich geoprocessing tool

Semantic search with local datasets

Semantic search is enabled in points of interest search and the data browser if you have chosen to install the AI Models > Semantic Search file during ArcGIS Pro installation. It may be disabled in the following scenarios:

• Semantic search for local data sources is automatically disabled on processors that do not support the AVX2 instruction set. For additional information about system requirements, see ArcGIS Pro system requirements.

• Semantic search is only available in English. If you are using an ArcGIS Pro language pack, semantic search is disabled.

• The dataset's Resources folder is missing or renamed.

• Semantic search resources in the Resources folder are missing or invalid.

Semantic search with online data

Semantic search is enabled in points of interest search and the data browser—including the data browser in the Enrich tool—if you are connected to online data. It may be disabled in the following scenarios:

• Depending on your ArcGIS Pro language settings, semantic search may be disabled.

• Older versions of Business Analyst Enterprise do not support semantic search.

Clear the Business Analyst cache

Business Analyst Pro uses a local cache to optimize performance when working with demographic and points of interest data. This cache is stored on your machine, and is created the first time you access Business Analyst data, such as when creating color-coded layers, performing enrichment, or editing infographic templates. The cache is automatically recreated when the software is updated or your data licensing changes. The cache contains metadata for datasets you access, improving data-related workflow performance. However, as the cache accumulates information, it can begin to negatively impact workflow performance.

If you are experiencing performance issues related to data, such as variables not displaying or searches yielding no results, you can try clearing the Business Analyst cache. Most users clear the cache a few times a year. After you clear the cache, it will be created again on the first instance of accessing Business Analyst data. To clear the cache, do the following:

1. On the ArcGIS Pro start page, click Settings in the upper left corner of the application window. Alternatively, if you have a project open, click the Project tab on the ribbon.

2. Click Options.

3. In the Options dialog box, under the Application heading, click Business Analyst.

4. Under Cache, click the Delete Cache button.