Cannot edit versioned SDE data with Python update or insert cursor functions

AnthonyGangemi

ESRI article ID 28084 (http://resources.arcgis.com/content/kbase?fa=articleShow&d=28084) discusses a limitation with the Python UpdateCursor or InsertCursor function when using versioned SDE data.

Now we have an ArcSDE versioned featureclass that portrays property parcels and among the many fields is one called PARCEL_NUMBER.  I�??ve developed a Python script within a 9.3.1 SP2 environment that first makes SQL queries against another internal Informix Property database system for all the respective Property Parcels and returns the Parcel Numbers into a Python list variable.  The script then takes this list variable, loops through and populates the PARCEL_NUMBER field for the respective property parcel where there is a missing Parcel Number value using the UpdateCursor function.   It works well when the featureclass is not versioned.  When the featureclass is versioned, the script runs error free but does not populate the respective fields.

A local ESRI support person advised that this would be rectified in ArcGIS 10 but when I tested it with a simple ArcPy script within an ArcGIS 10 Personal ArcSDE Geodatabase (based on a SQL Server Express 2008), it still exhibits the same problem.  Given the nature of versioning and its intrinsic use of delta tables, is it really possible to use an UpdateCursor function directly on a versioned featureclass?

Article ID 28084 discusses a possible workaround using disconnected editing via a check-out, run script on featureclass then check-in featureclass approach.  I believe this whole workflow could be entirely scriptable but has anyone successfully tried this?

I have an alternative approach but it would involve two separate steps:

1. Create a stand-alone table with referenced PARCEL_NUMBER values using a Python script.
2. Start ArcMap and do a spatial join with the table on the property parcel featureclass and use a field calculator script to populate the missing PARCEL_NUMBER fields during an edit session.

To this end, I�??m seeking alternative methods to get around this underlying limitation (or Bug??).   I�??d appreciate any good ideas in how I could craft a script that could get all the steps in one all inclusive automotive approach without separating the processes.

Regards

Tony
Bundaberg Regional Council

BrandonFlessner

I found the problem, in Catalog, the connection to the versioned data was using the default version as the transactional version to automatically connect to. To change this, you need to change the geodatabase connection properties to point to the version you wish to edit by default. It's a little confusing and odd that the default behavior is to edit the parent version of the version you are connected to but whatever. Its working now. 

I still think the above script should execute without having to edit any geodatabase connection properties.

Also see this: BUG-000101529 : The 'Make Feature Layer' geoprocessing tool fails when 64-bit Background Geoprocessing is utilized with ArcGIS 10.4.1. when using a sde database connection. Potentially fixed at 10.5.