Project Overview
Bexar County Appraisal District partnered with Sidwell, an Esri Gold Business Partner, to modernize its GIS and land records environment. The project was initiated in response to the upcoming retirement of ArcMap and the district’s need to transition to ArcGIS Pro and the Esri Parcel Fabric with minimal disruption to daily operations.
Sidwell provided end-to-end support, covering infrastructure assessment, enterprise deployment, data migration, staff training, and ongoing technical assistance, to ensure a smooth and efficient transition.
Challenge
Bexar CAD manages property valuations for more than two million residents in one of Texas’s largest and fastest-growing counties. The district operates on a state-mandated appraisal schedule, leaving very little room for system downtime or delays.
Before modernization, time was the most significant constraint. Internal staff could not dedicate the resources required for setup and migration without jeopardizing their appraisal deadlines.
According to Keith R. Dailey, GIS Director,
“Time was the most limiting factor. We are on a strict appraisal schedule that is dictated by the state, and we needed a third party to do the setup and migration so that we could just transition from ArcMap to ArcPro as quickly as possible with as little downtime as possible.”
Sidwell’s Solution
Sidwell developed a modernization plan focused on efficiency, continuity, and long-term scalability. The team migrated Bexar CAD’s data to a new, updated server and configured all necessary services, ensuring the environment was ready for use immediately after training.
Dailey explained, “Sidwell migrated our data over to a new, updated server and got the services started so that all we needed to do was complete the training and we were ready to use the new fabric in ArcPro.”
To minimize production interruptions, Sidwell performed the migration while Bexar CAD staff continued working in ArcMap, allowing the district to meet appraisal deadlines without delay.
“Sidwell was able to do the migration while we were still working in ArcMap,” Dailey noted. “This allowed us to have as much time as possible training with little to no actual downtime in production.”
Implementation and Transition
The move from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro introduced updated workflows and a new interface for parcel management. While the core processes remained familiar, staff needed to adjust to new tool placements and processing methods within the Parcel Fabric.
Dailey reflected on this transition:
“We had to learn the new ways of processing the parcel fabric in Pro as opposed to ArcMap. The basic workflows are the same, but knowing where the tools are is different.”
Sidwell’s training program was designed to close this gap, giving staff confidence and competence in the updated environment from day one.
Results and Impact
Following implementation, Bexar CAD achieved a seamless transition to ArcGIS Pro with virtually no downtime. Staff quickly adapted to the new environment and maintained productivity at levels comparable to those of prior years.
“The team was able to utilize the training well,” Dailey shared, “and we are in a comparable production rate as this time last year when we were on ArcMap.”
This success validated Sidwell’s phased approach, executing migration, training, and deployment concurrently to ensure uninterrupted operations. The project not only met immediate needs but also positioned Bexar CAD for continued modernization through future reporting and dashboard capabilities.
“We are now on ArcPro with little to no downtime,” Dailey concluded.
Strategic Value
This project demonstrates how strategic modernization enables appraisal districts to meet evolving technology standards without sacrificing productivity. Through its partnership with Sidwell, Bexar CAD established a modern, scalable GIS foundation that supports operational efficiency, transparency, and long-term growth.