Trouble registering datasets with ArcGIS Server 10.1 before publishing an MXD

I'm having trouble registering a dataset while attempting to publish an MXD to ArcGIS Server in 10.1. ArcMap and ArcGIS Server are 10.1, and the MXD was originally created in a previous version of the software (9.3.1 or 10.0, I'm not sure).

The MXD includes a joined layer. The feature data comes SQL Server 2005 over a direct connection. Many of the other layers in the MXD also come from SQL Server 2005 over direct connect so I don't think this is part of the problem. The joined data comes from a separate SQL Server schema in the same instance.

When analysing the MXD before publish I am told a few things about this joined feature class. 1) it doesn't have a spatial index and 2) - more importantly - its data source is not registered with the server so its data will be copied to the map server machine. This is obviously not what I want.

The feature class's direct connection is successfully registered, and other non-joined feature classes that use the same connection do not complain about dataset registration so I know that's not the problem. The issue is coming from the separate dataset that is used for the join. Its connection parameters (SQL Server instance, db name, user and pass) have all been registered with the server but it still complains. If I right-click the issue in the analyse results and say 'register with server' (or whatever it says) a dialog shows what looks like the exactly same connection details I already registered (though ArcMap won't show me the full text of the connection string). When I click OK it tells me that there is a parameter missing from the connection properties. This error is repeated twice.

I previously saw a similar error message when trying to first register direct connections. It contained the same 'missing property' message but then also said the version of the database server was not compatible. I first interpreted this to mean that ArcGIS Server 10.1 needed SQL Server 2008, but I later discovered this actually meant that the SQL Server native client had not been properly installed on the ArcGIS Server machine. After a manual install I could successfully register direct connections.

1. Is there some issue with registering joined datasets like this with ArcGIS Server?



2. Am I just using incompatible software versions in my stack here? Please don't just guess at the answer to this second question, I'd like to have some real and genuinely useful information before changing things.


3. Is there some issue with publishing MXDs created in previous versions of ArcMap?

Any help very much appreciated.

Answer

I have read instances where old mxds (9.3) can act wonky when opened in later versions. It would be worth it to try and rule this out by creating a blank 10.1 mxd and copying your layers over. Maybe this will help narrow down the issue if it persists?