Preparing Your GIS Data for the ArcGIS Utility Network Transition
As we enter 2026, it’s a good time for a reminder that Esri has published a firm retirement timeline for ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap and ArcMap-based extensions). For utilities still running network models on ArcMap-era technology, such as Geometric Network datasets, your planning window couldn’t be more narrow.
Migration and cutover tasks need to be wrapped up early enough to leave room for testing, training, and contingency planning, as the cost of waiting is too great. The technical steps for Utility Network migration may be well documented, but projects tend to stumble on delivery, such as with data readiness, error cleanup, and what happens after go-live.
This article lays out why early, measurable data readiness is the hinge point of a successful Utility Network migration, and what teams can do about it before risk compounds. We’ll walk through what Utility Network actually demands from your data, the risks of late-stage discovery, and how a staged, metrics-driven approach reduces implementation and operational risk.
We’ll keep it practical, discussing everything from baseline readiness assessments and targeted cleanup to pilot migrations, go-live criteria, and post-cutover governance – so you know exactly what to measure, when to measure it, and how to turn validation results into predictable outcomes instead of last-minute surprises.
Why Early Data Readiness Measurement Matters
Esri’s own guidance describes Utility Network migration as iterative, with quality control and remediation influencing model decisions throughout the program. From this, we find a direct planning implication.
On the one hand, when readiness is assessed early, remediation can be scoped, sequenced, and resourced predictably. When readiness is assessed late, on the other hand, issues surface during configuration, system testing, or immediately after cutover.
Utility Network’s rule- and topology-driven model exposes connectivity and relationship defects that older models tolerated. While that visibility improves network integrity, it’s only if your organization is prepared to manage what validation reveals.
What Utility Networks Demand From Your Data
Utility Network integrity is enforced through multiple mechanisms working together: Network rules define which assets can connect or associate and are required to enable network topology.
Topology validation identifies inconsistencies between edits and the network model through dirty areas that must be validated.
Validation attribute rules perform deferred checks on existing features and create error features that support structured QA, as opposed to just one-time cleanups.
These controls work best when the organization clearly defines the target model, the rules that enforce expected behavior, and provides a way to manage errors.
A Staged Approach That Reduces Implementation Risk
A practical Utility Network program should align with Esri best practices while working to reduce delivery risk through clear phases, such as the following:
Phase 1: Baseline assessment
The goal is to quantify readiness and define the remediation effort before migration begins. Useful outputs include a data-profiling summary, a connectivity and topology error baseline, a schema and subtype/domain mapping plan, and a prioritized remediation backlog that distinguishes quick wins from structural fixes.
Phase 2: Remediation
The goal is to reduce errors systematically and measurably. This phase benefits from automated validation jobs, a defined remediation workflow (triage, fix, recheck, closure), and explicit acceptance thresholds for go-live.
Phase 3: Migration pilots
Rather than migrating everything at once, utilities reduce risk by migrating a representative area, or subset. Pilot migrations let you see how tracing behaves, whether your subnetwork logic holds up, how editors work day to day, and how the system performs before you scale it across the entire network.
Phase 4: Production cutover and operationalization
The goal is not just to deploy, but to operate. What should be active on day one includes production validation cadence, runbooks for error management and subnetwork maintenance, and targeted training for new editing and QA patterns.
What to Measure in a Readiness Assessment
A useful assessment gives you metrics you can hold the project to. You’re checking whether the basics are in place, including GlobalIDs where they’re required, subtypes and domains lined up with asset groups and asset types, and critical attributes filled in where operations depend on them.
You’re also confirming that connectivity behaves the way the network is supposed to, including where geometry should connect, where it shouldn’t, and which assets can realistically act as subnetwork controllers based on pilot tracing.
From there, you look at quality outcomes: how many rule violations and topology errors you’re seeing, how often they show up, and whether the same problems keep coming back, which usually points to workflow issues rather than one-off data defects.
Finally, you pressure-test editing readiness: whether day-to-day editing paths actually work in Utility Network, whether QA steps are clearly defined in the edit lifecycle, and whether fixes can scale beyond manual cleanup.
In practice, most teams get the biggest lift from two automation layers: reliable validation jobs that surface issues consistently, and automated remediation for the error types that appear over and over again.
Post–Go-Live Governance Keeps Quality Intact
The quality of your data can degrade if validation is treated as an implementation task rather than an operational discipline. And Utility Network supports continuous governance through ongoing topology validation, enforced network and attribute rules, and persistent error features.
Programs that sustain quality typically formalize a rule catalog, an error management workflow with clear ownership and SLAs, and recurring KPI reporting that tracks error rates, time to close, and recurrence.
A Practical Starting Plan
As the 2026 deadline gets closer, utilities do better when they keep things simple and intentional. Decide early whether the goal is a parity-first migration or a move toward more advanced modeling. Get a clear, numbers-based readiness baseline and put automated validation in place as soon as possible.
Further, run pilots before you scale anything broadly. And lock down go-live criteria you can measure, with realistic tolerances and a plan to clean up what doesn’t have to be perfect on day one. Check out our datasheet and see exactly where your risks (and opportunities) lie.
By taking action now, you can future-proof your utility’s network, save money, and build lasting trust with regulators and customers alike. Don’t wait until it’s too late. The best time to start your Utility Network migration is now. Book your UN Readiness Assessment today.