Refresh data
Refresh layers from files, URLs, or databases. Set up live layers to update on a schedule.
Refresh a layer to replace its data while keeping its styling, filters, popups, and components. URL and database layers can refresh on a schedule; to update an uploaded file, use Upload new version.
Each layer's refresh controls are in the Data tab of its detail panel. What you can do depends on where the layer came from:
A URL, such as a GeoJSON file, CSV, Google Sheet, Airtable view, or ArcGIS service
Click Refresh
Yes
A table or SQL query in a database source
Click Refresh
Yes
An uploaded file
Upload a new version of the file
No
A tile URL, such as XYZ raster tiles or vector tiles
Tiles load from their server as the map loads. Click Refresh to reload them
Only in the browser: the Refresh dropdown reloads tiles while the map is open
A Felt Server
Click Refresh to update the shared layer on every map that uses it
No
The Global Library
Can't be refreshed
No
A streamed Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG)
Can't be refreshed; Felt reads it from its location as the map loads
No
Layers added with Stream vector data turned on load the latest data every time the map loads, so they don't need refreshing. See ArcGIS services.
Every refresh processes the full dataset again, so it counts toward your workspace's processing limit. See Plan usage.
Set up a live layer
Turn on Live to refresh a URL or database layer on a schedule.
In the legend, select the layer.
In the detail panel, open the Data tab.
Turn on Live. If the layer has edits made on the map, Felt warns that the next refresh replaces them. Click Turn on live refresh to continue.
Optional: In the Refresh dropdown, select how often the layer refreshes. The default is Every day.
You can also make a layer live as you add it: turn on Live in the Upload Anything from URL dialog (Upload Anything > From URL), or click the arrow next to Create layer on a database table or SQL query.
The frequencies you can choose, from every 15 minutes to every month, depend on your plan. See the Felt pricing page.
Editing a live layer's features or attributes turns off Live. To keep the schedule, edit the data at its source instead.
If a live layer fails to refresh several times in a row, Felt pauses its schedule and emails the person who added it. Fix the problem at the source, then click Refresh to start the schedule again.
Upload a new version of a file
Uploading a new version replaces all the layer's data, including edits made on the map. Felt keeps no earlier versions, so duplicate the map first if you need a backup. In the copy, open each synced Felt Server layer's Data tab and turn off Sync to keep the backup independent. See Save and undo changes.
In the legend, select the layer.
In the detail panel, open the Data tab.
Click Upload new version at the bottom of the tab. While editing the map, you can also open the layer's ··· menu in the legend and click Actions > Upload new version.
Select the updated file. If the layer has edits, Felt warns that the upload replaces them. Click Upload new version to continue.
The layer's Status shows Processing. When processing finishes, the new data appears with the layer's styling in place. Use the same column names in the new file as in the old one so styling, filters, and components still apply. See Keep styling when the data changes.
Felt can't append rows from a file to an existing layer. To add rows, upload a new version that includes every row, or add features on the map. See Edit features.
Refresh a layer from its URL or source
A layer from a URL or a database source refreshes from its original location.
In the legend, select the layer.
In the detail panel, open the Data tab.
Click Refresh at the bottom of the tab. If the layer has edits made on the map, Felt asks you to confirm, because the refresh replaces them.
The Data tab also shows the layer's URL or source. Refreshing a layer doesn't add tables that are new in the source. To check a source for new tables, see Manage a source.
If a database source can't be reached, for example because its credentials changed, the layer's Status reads Not connected. Someone with Edit access to the source can click Fix to update its settings.
Keep styling when the data changes
During a refresh, Felt matches column names to preserve a layer's styling, filters, popups, and components.
Keep the column names used by styling, labels, filters, or components. New columns are fine.
For a spreadsheet that Felt geocoded, keep the address or place columns it used. Without them, the update can't be applied.
If an update renames or deletes an attribute, Felt still applies the new data, but any styling, labels, filters, or components that use that attribute stop working. People with Edit access see a warning icon on the layer in the legend. Click it to open the tab that needs a new attribute.
When the new data has a different geometry type, such as polygons where there were points, the update isn't applied. The layer keeps its current data, and its Status reads Update failed. Fix the data at its source and refresh again, or click Discard update to keep the current data.
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