What is the future of ArcCatalog in future Pro versions?

RenatoSalvaleon · ‎02-10-2015

Unless I missed it, there's several Administration features in current ArcCatalog that are not available in Pro, specially the ones for geodatabases, e.g., Manage and Administer which is slightly different for each type of data objects.

RebeccaStrauch__GISP · ‎10-06-2016

I voted this up and added the following comment....duplicated/reposting here for maybe more exposure....turned into a semi-editorial from me...

I spend most of my time in ArcCatalog developing tools that aren't tied to a project, user, or machine. My preferred end product are python add-ins toolbars/buttons, which to my knowledge are not, and will/can not be supported in Pro due to ribbon UI (although the toolbox can be accessed and used).
My use case is being able to manipulate/analysis/geoprocess data, including maps via arcpy.mapping. I know that toolboxes can still be accessed, and "tasks" are the new workflow model, but an easy interface with the ability to develop/manage data and maps programmatically is why I like and use ArcCatalog. I don't have to create a project for this, just open it up and develop, view and/or manage all my data and tools. I know ArcCatalog will be around for quite a while and so this development/management workflow will continue for my use.
On the up side for Pro, I know it does have some nice features, and running my tools written thru ArcCatalog run much faster, as long as I make them compatible with python 3.x, when necessary. Pro is solving many of the issues that many users have been asking for, for years (multi-layout, real 64-bit, etc), so that is a plus. Also, I know that trying to build some of these requests into the Desktop platform wasn't possible, practical, or cost effective -- and having them try would have caused more of an uproar from all of us, as new issues, time delays, and rising costs would most likely have happened. So, the approach of starting clean, from the ground up, and adding features in as it grows is probably a good approach, and less disruptive to those of us that are long time users of Desktop (as much as I and many others don't want to admit sometimes). It is after all still in the 1.x version (anyone else ever remember a 1.x version of any software being a completely polished product? MS Windows 1.x,). Sorry about the editorial, but I have hope for the product and ideas like this getting serious consideration and hopefully implementation.
So, for the near, and still semi-distant future, I will continue to rely more heavily on Desktop, while playing with Pro when I have time. With each release more functionality is coming out, so I'll hold judgement on 1.4+, but the "simplicity" of quickly opening a Catalog session, doing whatever, and closing down, at least so far, is not there. Also, our shop will be a mixed bag of users and what they use for a long time to come....so will always need to have the data review and management features of Catalog.

ShawnBeecher · ‎06-15-2017

I would definitely give that idea thread a look as there is some great information being shared by @ Kory Kramer

about catalog and how it pertains to Pro.

ThomasColson · ‎10-06-2016

" To my knowledge, there is no plan for a Pro "ArcCatalog" as Pro is the fusion of ArcMap, ArcCatalog, ArcScene, ArcGlobe, and City Engine Runtime."

That's a head-scratcher. What's the business logic for not including a critical component of data management?

Robert_LeClair · ‎10-06-2016

The workflow is that ArcGIS Pro's Project Pane will be used to manage one's geographic data. With that said, keep in mind that ArcGIS Pro is not a complete product yet. ArcGIS Pro 1.4 is scheduled to be released later this year and with that - the goal is ArcMap equivalency with regard to functionality. For long time GIS users, when ArcMap 8.0 was released, it did not have the equivalency of ArcView 3.x - it took time. It wasn't until 8.3 that I transitioned my company's workflows to ArcMap (wasn't working for Esri then).

ThomasColson · ‎10-06-2016

I manage many terabytes of data, two dozen SDE instances, 8 GIS servers, and the average time I get to spend on any one "project" is 7 minutes in support of a very large campus. Being limited to a "project view" snapshot of some of that data is not very productive. I just had a very interesting conversation with one my staff, whom I asked to try Pro out this week. I don't believe he knows Geonet exists...his feedback on the usability and functionality of Pro was like re-reading the numerous Geonet posts on the topic. 30,000 foot-view....my interpretation of Pro is that most of the core features in desktop will not be in Pro unless end users exhaust significant time in asking for them and "voting" on ideas. There is so much lacking in Pro right now that I'm kind of skeptical that anything released later this year (2 months left) will even come close to anything resembling Arc Map functionality.

DavidWheelock · ‎10-06-2016

Robert. Asking users to use ArcGIS Pro's project pane to manage all of their data is like asking Windows users to use MS Word's Browsing window to manage their files. A browse window is no replacement for a full-featured data management app like ArcCatalog. Just not going to happen.

Who's idea WAS this?!

JohnDye · ‎10-06-2016

that's funny

Robert_LeClair · ‎10-07-2016

I see you contributed an ArcGIS Idea recently for a full-featured data management app for Pro - thx! By doing this, it does get viewed by the Pro Dev Team where software decisions are made...

DavidWheelock · ‎01-18-2017

Robert, how does ESRI evaluate the numbers of votes on our ideas? Is it just raw numbers or does ESRI do any user demographics on them?

My idea below is now up to 77 up-votes and 730 points, total. That's more than some and less than others, but definitely getting some support. However, it's still not yet "Under consideration". Clearly, ESRI is not considering this an issue. Why?

Please read the use-cases that people have been writing in the link below:

Add Stand Alone Data Catalog Like ArcCatalog to ArcGIS Pro

https://community.esri.com/ideas/12671-add-stand-alone-data-catalog-to-arcgis-pro-like-arccatalog

I'd be willing to bet that those votes represent a select and indispensable set of users: geospatial DBA's and those who do that job when there's no one with that title in their organization. Most GIS folks probably use ArcCatalog from time to time and what Pro offers them for this may be just fine for them. GDBA's, on the other hand use ArcCatalog intensively and may need a mapping app like ArcMap or Pro rarely, if ever. Yet, no one would deny the critical nature of the GDBA's work.

Now, GDBA's are a tiny fraction of the GIS user community; let's say 5%, at most. So, if they are the ones giving these up-votes, it's MUCH more significant that it has achieved a total of 730 points. If the GDBA population is only 1/20 of the total population, that means that the total significance of this vote could be as much as 20-times more than 730, perhaps the equivalent of 14,000 points. That would make it one of your most requested Ideas of all time and of critical importance to the geospatial DBA community.

By comparison, auto mechanics are only a small percentage of the tool-buying community. Yet, their services are critically important to the rest of us, and the tools they use, though used only by the mechanics and purchased in small numbers, are equally critical.

Like the tools used by auto mechanics, ArcCatalog, though used intensively by a small percentage of the GIS community, is critically important for the critical work that they do and to the entire GIS community which depends on the GDBA's.

ShawnBeecher · ‎06-14-2017

I would like to add my voice to those here. I really need the database management tools that ArcCatalog provides. I am trying to learn as much about ArcGIS Pro as I can so our organization can switch but am finding it lacking some of the key components necessary to do my work. I spend a lot of time in catalog managing our databases and database connections. I have 9 database servers and at least 4 databases in each server with some database servers having 12 databases. I am supposed to make at least 36 connections in Pro, sort through all of those all of the time and manage them in a tiny window? Not only that, so far I have not been able to find yet adequate tools to manage those databases in Pro. I need to be able to manage replicas. So far I have not found anywhere to do that. I really need the functionality from ArcCatalog in Pro if we are going to migrate completely over. I will vote up any reference to add this I can find. I am going to scour ideas to see if I can find any I can vote up. Thank you for listening.

Shawn