SNaC-ing on Geodatabases

If you want to use Microsoft's geometry or geography spatial types with ArcGIS 9.3.1, you should install the SQL Server 2008 Native Client on your ArcGIS client computers.

Not everyone will run into a problem when querying the geometry and geography types in SQL Server 2008 from ESRI software; it depends on how up-to-date your Windows system is. 

However, if you get a deferred prepare error when displaying or querying feature classes that contain Microsoft geometry or geography columns AND a SQL trace shows this error occurred when you queried a feature class containing a geometry or geography column: "Error 206, Operand type clash: image is incompatible with geometry",  THEN you should try installing the SQL Server 2008 Native Client.

You can download and install the SQL Server Native Client from the Microsoft site HERE 

This post was contributed by Kim Peter from the ArcSDE team

Inside the Geodatabase 9.4 beta edition! - blogging on geodatabase dev @ 9.4 beta

For those of you participating in the 9.4 beta program, we’ve started a Beta specific Inside the Geodatabase blog.

The new GDB beta blog will serve as a place to post about all of the new functionality and improvements that we’ve been developing for the 9.4 release.

We’ll be posting to it regularly about all of the new additions, workflows, help content and what’s happening behind the GDB scenes.

You, the beta user, can supply meaningful feedback on the new batch of geodatabase goodies. Fun Times.

For those of you not in the beta program fret not, we will continue posting to this blog as well.

Thanks to everyone participating in the beta program, we’re looking forward to your feedback.

New Code Sample - The Error Checker

James MacKay has submitted a NEW CODE SAMPLE to the ArcGIS Engine .NET Code Gallery called the Error Checker. This handy little snippet is a utility that takes an input decimal or hexadecimal error code and gives you a list of all potential enumeration values.

The download comes with documentation that goes into more detail of course, but this sweet workflow graphic should explain the utility’s ease of use:

If there was only a better way to annotate screen grabs .....

Geodatabase Toolset for ArcCatalog - Free Download

The Geodatabase Toolset (GDBT) for ArcCatalog is now available for 9.3 and 9.3.1. Download the toolset for free off of the ESRI products page.

The GDBT is an unsupported extension to ArcGIS Desktop which provides a collection of tools that you can use to troubleshoot, monitor, and investigate ArcSDE geodatabases.The GDBT works with geodatabases stored on SQL Server, Oracle, Informix, DB2, or PostgreSQL databases. It provides a wide variety of information including:

• The total number of rows in the add and delete tables
• Users connected to the geodatabase and locked schemas
• A graphic of the state tree lineage
• Detailed information of a features class spatial index
• Parent-child relationships between versions for version management
• Table and Index Statistics for geodatabase stored in an Oracle database

After you download and install the GDBT you can access a help file to learn more about the toolset. It can be found in Start > All Programs > Geodatabase Toolset > Geodatabase Toolset User Guide.

There is also a support forum available for interacting with other GDBT users.

Note: The GDBT is an "unsupported" extension so ESRI Technical Support is not available for the toolset.

Migrating from Single-user Geodatabases to Multiuser Geodatabases - Podcast available!

A new instructional series podcast is available called Migrating from Single-user Geodatabases to Multiuser Geodatabases. The podcast provides reasons to migrate from MS Access personal or file geodatabases to multiuser geodatabases. It also highlights some key concepts to be aware of before migrating as well as GIS data migration methods.

Read the Transcript 

Listen to the Podcast

Clipping Rasters - Part C - Reverse-Clipping on a raster (aka Masking)

NOTE: you may want to read and understand the previous 2 clipping blogs before reading this one.
Raster Clipping - Part A - Better Raster Clipping options in ArcGIS
Raster Clipping – Part B - Using an irregular shape to clip a raster dataset

At the 2009 ESRI User Conference, many users were asking if it's possible to do a “reverse-clip” on a raster dataset.  So instead of clipping out the data that you want to keep, you take the middle out of the raster dataset. 

There is no tool that actually can perform this at the moment, but we can use a workflow to achieve the same result.

At ArcGIS 9.3, a raster dataset can be clipped based on the geometry of any feature or graphic.  That means if your feature or graphic has a “hole” in the middle, then the raster will follow suit and ignore that area in your output clip.

Therefore, if you have a feature or graphic with the area already excluded, then you are set to perform your clip.  Chances are that you do not have such a feature already created, so we will cover the steps to create such a graphic.  Once the graphic is created, it can then be converted to a feature.

Creating a graphic with a hole in the middle

Most users that want to perform such a task usually want to exclude some data from the middle of the raster.  In our example we will exclude the lake area in the middle of the raster dataset.

1. In ArcMap, display the raster dataset.
2. Make sure that the Draw toolbar is turned on.
3. Use the Polygon tool to create the area that you would like excluded from your output.



4. Use the Rectangle or Polygon tool to outline the area that you want included in your output.
5. Since your second graphic is overlapping the original graphic you used, right-click on your graphic, point to Order, and click on Send to Back.



6. Now that you can see both of your graphics, use the Select Elements tool to select both of them. The Shift key will allow you to select more than one element at a time.



7. Click the Drawing menu, point to Graphics Operation, and then click Remove Overlap.

Voila! You have a graphic that covers the area you need. Now you can convert this graphic to a feature so that you can use it to clip the original raster.

Convert your graphic to a feature

1. With your graphic selected, click on the Drawing menu, and click on Convert Graphics to Features.
2. Navigate to the folder or geodatabase that you would like to store the feature in, and give it a name.
3. Click OK, to persist the feature.

And finally, you are able to use this feature within the Clip tool.  Remember to check the “Use input features for clipping geometry” checkbox.

Here is the result of clipping the orginal raster using that feature:

'Programming with the Geodatabase API' demo theatre posted

We’ve taken the slides, code, and data from the UC demo theatre “Programming with the Geodatabase API” and posted them up on the Engine Code Gallery.

This includes:
·         The slides that were presented
·         Code showing how to query, edit and create data in the geodatabase
·         Code showing how to create custom components that work with the geodatabase API

You can check it out HERE

Geodatabase Essentials Presentations 2009

As promised, here are the slide decks for the Geodatabase Essentials presentations from this year's User Conference.

The first session given by myself and Colin “The Stuntman” Zwicker focuses mainly on introducing the geodatabase, what it is, why you would use it, what types of geodatabases there are. We also introduce all the fundamental datasets and behavior housed within the geodatabase for modeling real world entities: Tables, Feature classes, Raster, Domains, Subtypes, Topologies, Networks, etc…

The second session given by Brent Arden Pierce and Gary MacDougall focuses on ArcSDE geodatabases and delves into more advanced concepts such as versioning, archiving and replication.

All of the tech workshops given at the UC were recorded as well, I’ll link to those once they’re up on the web.

Training Spotlight: The Geodatabase

Well the conference is over and it's back to Redlands. We've been getting a lot of good feedback about the tech sessions and demo theatres, I'll get the Geodatabase Essentials sessions on here later this week. I hope everyone who attended the conference got a lot out of it and had fun in the process. It certainly is helpful for us to get a feel for the types of projects our users are involved with and see how the software is being used.

This post is just a heads up about some suggested training for people who want to learn more about the geodatabase. There is a whole suite of training courses available. 

If you're interested check out Traing Spotlight: The Geodatabase

Meet the Geodatabase Specialists @ UC2009

If you have questions about any geodatabase topics while you’re at the user conference stop by the Geodatabase Island in the Showcase area. The island is organized into sections based on functionality and specialists for each area will be in and out when they’re not doing presentations.

We are also setting aside two hour slots on Tuesday and Wednesday when specialists for certain aspects of the software will be available at the Geodatabase Island. So the best way to find the right person to talk to is to swing by the island during the appropriate ‘Meet the Specialists’ time.

Tuesday, July 14th

10:00 – 12:00     File Geodatabase & Linear Referencing

12:00 – 2:00       Archiving

2:00 – 4:00        Geometric Networks & DB2

2:00 – 4:00         Raster Display and Processing & Geodatabase Raster

4:00 – 6:00         Oracle & Topologies

4:00 – 6:00         Image Service, WCS Service & Image Extension (Image Server)

Wednesday, July 15th

10:00 – 12:00     SqlServer, SqlServer Express & Geodatabase XML

12:00 – 2:00       Metadata & PostGreSQL

2:00 – 4:00         Informix & Map Projections

4:00 – 6:00         Replication & Versioning

UC2009 Geodatabase Demo Theatres

Members of the geodatabase team will be giving presentations in the demo theatre area throughout the week at UC2009. These presentations are smaller and more intimate than the technical workshops, and revolve mainly around live demonstrations of specific areas of the software. It’s a good opportunity to delve into a topic of interest as well as get questions answered by a specialist on the material.

Here are the demo theatre topics and when they are offered:

Geodatabase Technical Workshops @ 2009 ESRI International User Conference

It’s that time of year again. The 2009 ESRI International User Conference is three weeks away and the geodatabase team is busy preparing technical workshops and demo theatres to present down at the San Diego convention center. There will also be a geodatabase island in the showcase area where members from the team will be available, so be sure to swing by with any questions or interests you’d like to talk about.

There’s a lot going on this year so there are a few web pages to help keep your finger on the pulse of this year’s conference:

ESRI UC Insider – An RSS feed that offers some insight into what’s happening at this year’s conference

ESRI UC Announcements – A site that highlights details about reservations, deadlines, agenda planning and other ways to plan your UC experience.

Also, here is a link to the Main UC page.

Below is a list of the presentations the geodatabase team is offering at this year’s UC. Each one is a link to the info page for that presentation:

Geodatabase Technical Workshops

Geodatabase Essentials Part 1 – An Introduction to the Geodatabase

• Tue, July 14, 8:30AM – 9:45AM, Room 6 C
• Wed, July 15, 1:30PM – 2:45PM, Room 6 C
• Fri, July 17, 9:00AM – 10:15AM, Room 4

Geodatabase Essentials Part 2 - An Introduction to ArcSDE Geodatabases

• Wed, July 15, 8:30AM - 9:45AM, Room 4
• Thu, July 16, 8:30AM - 9:45AM, Room 3
• Fri, July 17, 9:00AM - 10:15AM, Room 3

Managing Distributed Data with Geodatabase Replication

• Tue, July 14, 3:15PM – 4:30PM, Room 6D
• Thurs, July 16, 10:15AM – 11:30AM, Room 6D

Topulogy in the Geodatabase

• Tue, July 14, 1:30PM - 2:45PM, Room 6 C
• Thu, July 16, 8:30AM - 9:45AM, Room 6 C 

Geometric Networks in the Geodatabase

• Tue, July 14, 8:30AM – 9:45AM, Room 3
• Wed, July 15, 1:30PM – 2:45PM, Room 3

Working with Raster Data in ArcGIS

• Tue, July 14, 8:30AM - 9:45AM, Room 6 D
• Wed, July 15, 1:30PM - 2:45PM, Room 6 D 

Managing Raster Data in a Geodatabase

• Tue, July 14, 10:15AM - 11:30AM, Room 6 D
• Wed, July 15, 3:15PM - 4:30PM, Room 6 D

What is ArcGIS and the Geodatabase?

• Tue, July 14, 10:15AM – 11:30AM, Room 11B

Geodatabase Editing Workflows

• Wed, July 15, 8:30AM – 9:45AM, Room 6C
• Thurs, July 16, 1:30PM – 2:45PM, Room 6C

Geodatabase 9.4 Plans

• Wed, July 15, 10:15AM – 11:30AM, Room 6B
• Thurs, July 16, 3:15PM – 4:30PM, Room 6B

Editing with ArcGIS – Tips and Tricks

• Wed, July 15, 8:30AM – 9:45AM, Room 3

Enterprise Geodatabase - Tips and Tricks

• Tue, July 14, 1:30PM - 2:45PM, Room 6 D
• Thu, July 16, 8:30AM - 9:45AM, Room 6 D 

Administration for Oracle – An Introduction

• Tue, July 14, 8:30AM – 9:45AM, Room 4
• Wed, July 15, 1:30PM – 2:45PM, Room 4

Administration for Oracle – Advanced

• Tue, July 14, 10:15AM – 11:30AM, Room 4
• Wed, July 15, 3:15PM – 4:30PM, Room 4

Administration for SQL Server – An Introduction

• Tue, July 14, 1:30PM – 2:45PM, Room 4
• Thurs, July 16, 8:30AM – 9:45AM, Room 4

Administration for SQL Server – Advanced

• Tue, July 14, 3:15PM – 4:30PM, Room 4
• Thurs, July 16, 10:15AM – 11:30AM, Room 4

Enterprise Geodatabase – Tips and Tricks

• Tue, July 14, 1:30PM – 2:45PM, Room 6D
• Thurs, July 16, 8:30AM – 9:45AM Room 6D

Administration for PostgreSQL – An Introduction

• Tue, July 14, 3:15PM – 4:30PM, Room 6C
• Thurs, July 16, 3:15PM – 4:30PM, Room 7 A/B

Using SQL and Spatial Data Types with the Geodatabase

• Wed, July 15, 10:15AM – 11:30AM, Room 4
• Thurs, July 16, 1:30PM – 2:45PM, Room 4

Administration for IBM Databases – An Introduction

• Wed, July 15, 10:15AM – 11:30AM, Room 6C

Working with ESRI’s Spatial Data Type for Oracle

• Wed, July 15, 12:00PM – 1:00PM, Room 4

ArcGIS Implementation Examples at UC and Industry Specific Templates

A few posts ago we talked about the Water Utilities Resource Center. Along with all of the great content on that site another key aspect is their use of an industry specific, downloadable template. This template provides relevant basemaps, an updated water utility data model, and a series of ArcGIS Desktop editing tools so water distribution improvements can be added to the geodatabase efficiently. There is also documentation in the downloadable package describing its contents and a video on the site to teach you how to use the template.

The water utilities resource center is the first to venture into this realm of industry specific downloadable templates. There is also a Public Safety resource center now with similar content. In the future ESRI will be adding more resource centers for specific user communities as well as accompanying templates for their respective industries.

In following this new trend towards industry specific templates we will be focusing on various user communities at this year’s ESRI International User Conference. There is a new Track called ArcGIS Implementation Examples that will provide insight into essential applications in different user communities.

ArcGIS Implementation Examples Technical Workshops

Local Government Basemaps using ArcGIS - Tue, Jul 14, 10:15AM – 11:30AM, Room 30 B

Facility Management Applications using ArcGIS - Tue, Jul 14, 1:30PM - 2:45PM, Room 30 B 

Water Utility Applications using ArcGIS - Tue, Jul 14, 3:15PM - 4:30PM, Room 30 B

Land Records Applications using ArcGIS - Wed, Jul 15, 10:15AM - 11:30AM, Room 30 B 

Emergency Management Applications using ArcGIS - Wed, Jul 15, 1:30PM - 2:45PM, Room 17 A 

Steve Grisé is also doing an updated session in this track that will cover GIS Design and Implementation methods. There is some design theory/philosophy in the workshop but the emphasis is mostly on hands-on tools and project examples.

GIS Design Methods

Tue, Jul 14, 8:30AM - 9:45AM, Room 30 B 

Wed, Jul 15, 8:30AM - 9:45AM , Room 30 B

Technical Briefing Session
This session focuses on common marine data types and overview of the basic structure/tutorial of the Arc Marine data model.
Arc Marine - Managing and Analyzing Ocean and Coastal Data in ArcGIS - Tue, Jul 14, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 6 C 

Special Interest Group (SIG) Meetings
Another great place to get to know your peers is at the Special Interest Group meetings and parties.
Climate, Weather, Atmospheric User Group - Tue, Jul 14, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 24 B 

Census Special Interest Group Meeting - Tue, Jul 14, 12:00PM - 1:15PM, Room 23 C 

Facilities Management SIG - Wed, Jul 15, 12:00PM - 1:15PM, Room 26 A 

GIS in Homeland Security SIG - Tue, Jul 14, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 17 A

PUG Social - Tue, Jul 14, 5:30PM - 9:00PM, Plaza Terrace (Upper Level) 

Health and Human Services User Group Luncheon - Wed, Jul 15, 11:45AM - 1:00PM, Room 29 D

Agriculture SIG - Wed, Jul 15, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 23 C

ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model User Group - Wed, Jul 15, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 28 C 

Water/Wastewater/Stormwater User Group - Wed, Jul 15, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 25 A/B 

Highway and Public Transportation Management SIG - Wed, Jul 15, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 23 A 

Marine and Coastal GIS SIG - Thu, Jul 16, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 23 B 

Mariners will also be interested in:
Arc Marine - Managing and Analyzing Ocean and Coastal Data in ArcGIS - Tue, Jul 14, 12:00PM - 1:00PM, Room 6 C

Preconference Seminars
Pre-conference seminars require special registration but they provide a lot of information on specific topics.  

Pipeline Workshop - Sat, Jul 11, 8:30AM - 5:00PM, Room 27 A/B

Arc Hydro Groundwater 2009—Managing Groundwater Data in ArcGIS - Sat, Jul 11, 8:30AM - 5:00PM, Room 23 C 

GIS Hydro 2009 - Modeling and Managing Water Resources　- Sun, Jul 12, 8:30AM - 5:00PM, Room 23 C

There are a number of other related sessions that you might also be interested in.  We encourage you to look at the UC Agenda Search page to start planning your personal UC schedule.

New Code Gallery Download: Geodatabase Domain Tools

A new sample has been added to the code gallery that shows how the Geodatabase API can be leveraged to provide greater control over domains than what is possible with ArcCatalog out-of-the-box. It contains a custom geodatabase property page, written in C#, which when installed will appear alongside the existing Domains property page. The page provides the following functionality:

• For ArcSDE geodatabases, displaying the owner of domains
• Sorting and reordering coded value domains
• Finding and optionally removing references to domains
• Exporting domains to XML workspace documents

Check out the sample HERE

Raster Clipping – Part B - Using an irregular shape to clip a raster dataset

This is a follow up to last week’s post. Last week we talked about clipping raster datasets based on a single polygon or graphic.  This week we will look at clipping a raster dataset based on selected features within a feature class.

Sometimes you will have many polygons in a feature class and will want to use a specific set of features to clip your raster data. This can be done by creating a selection set within ArcMap.

First you will want to make a query or choose a selection set. In my example I will choose any feature that has an area of 5000 units or more. 

Now that we have the selection set, we will use the Clip (Data Management) geoprocessing tool, to clip out only the selected areas. Be sure to choose the polygon layer from the dropdown, and also to check the Input Features for Clipping Geometry checkbox.

After the tool has run, only the selected (blue areas) are clipped out. The other features that were not in our selection set will be excluded in the output.