How to Manage the Migration from Esri’s Web AppBuilder to Experience Builder
An Opportunity to Enhance Your Geospatial Capabilities
By Alex Metzler, GIS Solutions Architect, ddms, Inc.
When ArcGIS Enterprise 12 was released last fall and Esri officially retired ArcGIS Web AppBuilder (WAB), you may not have been excited to make the transition, especially if your current tools were working just fine. But the transition to Experience Builder isn’t just about keeping up with Esri’s platform changes. It’s actually an opportunity to unlock capabilities that can make your geospatial applications more powerful, more responsive, and frankly — easier to use.
Why the Migration Matters
Web AppBuilder runs on Esri’s older JavaScript API (version 3.x), which has been retired. Experience Builder, on the other hand, is built on modern architecture that brings some genuinely useful improvements to the table:
- Responsive design that adapts seamlessly to desktop and mobile devices under one platform
- Enhanced user experience with intuitive interfaces that your team will actually enjoy using
- Advanced functionality including 3D features, Utility Network support, and smart form integrations
- Greater customization with Arcade expressions for widgets and KPIs
- Improved data visualization through advanced symbology and layer blending options
Think of it like upgrading from off-the-rack to tailored clothing options; you have choices in either scenario, but now they’re at a more granular level. Instead of just picking colors and sizes, you can choose stitching and sleeve lengths. The fundamentals are the same, but now you’re working with components that let you operate more creatively and efficiently. Ultimately, more insights in less time.
The Migration Challenge
As anyone who’s done a migration can guess, migrating from Web AppBuilder to Experience Builder isn’t a simple copy-and-paste operation. You need to:
- Assess your current applications and their dependencies
- Recreate functionality in a new environment
- Reconfigure widgets (and find alternatives in some cases)
- Test everything thoroughly
- Train your team on the new platform
And you need to do all of this while maintaining business continuity and data integrity. That’s a lot to manage, especially if GIS administration is just one of the many hats you wear.
5 Phases to Optimize GIS Migrations
This is where our expertise in Enterprise Geospatial Services comes in. We understand that successful migrations aren’t just about technical execution; they’re about preserving the workflows and business intelligence that your organization depends on.
When we partner with organizations on Experience Builder migrations, we start by asking questions, listening, and not assuming.
- What applications are mission-critical?
- Which workflows can’t be interrupted?
- Where are the pain points in your current setup?
This is the start of our collaborative process to:
Assess and Plan
We analyze your existing Web AppBuilder applications to understand their components, functionalities, and how they fit into your broader data ecosystem. This assessment helps us identify potential challenges before they become problems.
Design with Purpose
Then, ddms maps WAB capabilities to Experience Builder, guided by the official documentation. We don’t just recreate what you had; we look for opportunities to improve. Maybe there’s a workflow that’s been clunky but “good enough.” Maybe there’s new functionality in Experience Builder that could solve a problem you’ve been working around. We bring both the technical skills and environmental data experience to spot these opportunities.
Where direct equivalents exist, Experience Builder widgets and templates are used. Where not, ddms recommends similar widgets, workflows, and experiences or re-thinks the user experience to deliver a cleaner, more modern result.
Build and Configure
Our team handles the technical heavy lifting; setting up templates, migrating data sources, reconfiguring widgets, and developing custom solutions where needed. We use our experience with map-based platforms and business intelligence to create dashboards and apps that turn your data into actionable insights.
Test and Refine
Before anything goes live, we test thoroughly. We involve your team in the process to make sure workflows function as expected and that the new applications actually improve on what you had before.
Support the Transition
Migration day isn’t the end of our involvement. “Talking about technology and seeing it in test mode is quite different than using it on a daily basis,” said Metzler. “That’s why hands-on training with teams is vital to success.” ddms also supports testing and deployment to make sure your organization is fully prepared for the retirement timeline Esri outlines in its official deprecation notice.
Real Benefits for Your Environmental Data
Stepping back from the migration process itself, what’s the ROI? How will this migration help you do your job better?
Better Decision-Making
Experience Builder’s enhanced visualization capabilities mean you can spot trends and patterns more easily. Advanced symbology and 3D features give you new ways to explore your data, while smart forms make data collection and editing more efficient.
Streamlined Workflows
The improved user interface isn’t just prettier; it’s more intuitive. Your team spends less time figuring out how to do things and more time actually doing them. Mobile optimization means field staff can access critical information wherever they are.
Future-Proof Platform
By migrating to Experience Builder, you’re positioning your organization on Esri’s actively developed platform. You’ll have access to new features as they’re released, rather than being stuck on deprecated technology.
Preserved Investments
Most importantly, you don’t lose the work you’ve already put into your applications. We preserve your existing workflows and functionality, just in a more capable environment.
Ready to Start the Conversation?
We believe that data is one of your company’s most valuable assets. If you’re facing the Web AppBuilder retirement deadline and wondering how to approach the migration, we’re here to help. Our experienced GIS team is ready to guide your organization through this transition while maintaining data integrity and business continuity.
Let’s turn this required migration into an opportunity to enhance your geospatial capabilities. Because when you do more with your data, you can make better decisions, and that’s what this is all about.
Learn more about our Enterprise Geospatial Services here. And if you’d like a conversation around your GIS migration, contact us at sales@ddmsinc.com. We’re happy to talk it through.