Maps Keep Being Published

Symptom

Maps are published even though they have not changed or more maps are publishing than expected.

Cause

There are several causes:

1. The permissions for the Publication Server (the account that performs the publications) do not allow it to make changes to the files. This is usually seen during or soon after installation or after changes to the IT Infrastructure, which you might not have been aware of.
2. There are some maps which have changed and their Off-Page Connectors (OPCs) have been refreshed affecting other maps whose content has otherwise not changed.
3. The link between a deliverable and its OPC is broken, so Refresh OPCs does not recognise that the deliverable has an OPC and gives it another. This can be detected by clicking on the OPC and deleting it. If it does not disappear you have a stack of OPCs. The deliverable shape may have been corrupted.

Solution

Suggested solutions for the above are:

1. Check the permissions and, if necessary, get them changed.
2. There is no solution as this happens by design. Manually re-running the same publish and checking that no maps are republished will confirm it.
3. The solution is to delete the shape and its OPC stack by drawing a box around them. Remember to record the properties of the deliverable shape before deletion.