topic Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry. in ArcGIS Enterprise Questions

Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

Anonymous User — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 09:29:49 GMT

In the Server Manager logs - what does this mean?

How do I fix it?

SEVERE

Jan 5, 2018, 9:20:36 AM

Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

Administrative_Boundaries/Local_Authority_Districts_December_2015_Boundaries.MapServer

SEVERE

Jan 5, 2018, 9:20:35 AM

Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

Administrative_Boundaries/Local_Authority_Districts_December_2015_Boundaries.MapServer

SEVERE

Jan 5, 2018, 9:19:54 AM

Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

Administrative_Boundaries/Local_Authority_Districts_December_2015_Boundaries.MapServer

SEVERE

Jan 5, 2018, 9:18:52 AM

Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

Electoral_Boundaries/Westminster_Parliamentary_Constituencies_December_2015_Boundaries.MapServer

Thanks

Matt

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

PanagiotisPapadopoulos — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 09:43:04 GMT

maybe the feature class has geometry errors.

You try to do a check geometry with arctoolbox.

Checking and repairing geometries—Help | ArcGIS Desktop

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

JoeBorgione — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 13:10:24 GMT

Check geometry and repair geometry tools do not work on an enterprise (aka SDE) data base. It appears you are dealing with polygon features: sort them by area and delete those where it = 0 (zero). You'll notice that those where the area = 0 no other attributes are populated as well. I've referred to these as "ghost" features and they appear from time to time and always blamed the occurance on an undocumented feature somewhere in the enterprise/sde environment, but I could be wrong...

from the link provided:

The exception to this is when the data is loaded to an ArcSDE geodatabase. Before it is stored in the feature class, each record's geometry is checked for geometry problems and repaired if necessary.

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

JayantaPoddar — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 13:10:26 GMT

The error message might not be enough to reach to a conclusion.

If you are using enterprise geodatabase, what is the version of ArcGIS Server and the Geodatabase?

Under what circumstances, are you receiving the stated error message?

Meanwhile, I would also suggest you to contact Esri Tech Support for resolving the issue.

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

JoshuaBixby — Fri, 05 Jan 2018 16:12:39 GMT

Joe, you might be interested in one of my past blog posts: /blogs/tilting/2015/05/29/whats-in-your-feature-class-nothing-null-or-empty . The fact is Esri doesn't consistently handle missing or empty geometries. When a geometry is optional and missing, some tools leave the SHAPE field NULL while others create an empty geometry and insert it into the field. Even on the retrieval side, different tools handle empty geometries differently.

Just like an empty set is a valid set, and actually a critically important set in mathematics, an empty geometry is a valid geometry. Esri's poor support and handling of empty geometries is akin to having them support Roman numerals instead of Arabic numerals. Who needs to use zero, right?

From a practical perspective, I tell users in my organization to make geometry required when working with Esri's systems. Even though an empty geometry is a geometry, most users have no idea how to make them, so requiring them prevents some of the inconsistent behavior when there is a missing geometry.

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

WWalker — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 15:56:19 GMT

Just out of curiosity, do these feature classes participate in a topology?

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

DougGreen — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 16:29:41 GMT

I found this as I was getting the same exact error in Desktop. I use backend STIsEmpty(), STIsValid(), STIsSimple() as mentioned in previous comments. All were valid and simple, none were empty. We are on 10.5. I have discovered something after thorough testing. I have narrowed it down to an issue with Enterprise GDBs in SQL server (haven't tested in Oracle etc). Place two feature classes with non-overlapping extents from an EGDB in a map. Run "Select by Location" in the following scenarios:

Select one feature in FC1 and then run "Select by Location" selecting features from both FCs within a distance that will not reach features in FC2.
1. Error occurs
Select one feature in FC1 and then run "Select by Location" selecting features from both FCs within a distance that will reach features in FC2.
1. Error does not occur
Select one feature in FC1 and then run "Select by Location" selecting features only from FC1 within a distance that will not reach features in FC2.
1. Error does not occur
Select one feature in FC1 and then run "Select by Location" selecting features only from FC1 within a distance that will reach features in FC2.
1. Error does not occur

Repeat the inverse of this (swapping FC1 with FC2 in each scenario) and you will get the same results.

Conclusion: Error is produced when selecting features from both FCs when the search radius does not intersect the second FCs extent.

If this same test is performed with the feature classes in a File GDB, no errors are shown. I have called and I'm waiting for a call back from Tech Support. I have tested this in a 10.4.1 and 10.5 GDB. I don't know if perhaps it is fixed in a newer release.

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

JoshuaBixby — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 16:17:09 GMT

You state:

I use backend STIsEmpty(), STIsValid(), STIsSimple() as mentioned in previous comments.

I assume this statement means you are running SQL outside of ArcGIS to test the features? If so, are you running the queries against the base tables of the version views? I ask because if this is versioned data, it might be you haven't run those commands against the same data set that the took is using in ArcGIS.

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

DougGreen — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:30:42 GMT

Joshua,

I am running these queries in SSMS. These two feature classes are not versioned but on feature classes that are, I append "_evw" to the end of the name to select from the multi-version view of the table/featureclass.

Good thought though.

Doug

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

JoshuaBixby — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 18:35:38 GMT

Since versioned views automatically access the Default version, is that the version you want to be querying or is it a different version?

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

DougGreen — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 19:58:23 GMT

Yep, that version is fine. It's the one used when the error is produced. It continues to happen even when unregistering so version specific errors are ruled out.

I heard back from them and they ended up telling me that this is a bug. #BUG-000125941

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

JoshuaBixby — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 17:59:20 GMT

By the bug number itself, it was logged fairly recently. I looked on Esri Support's website and the bug information is not generally available, which isn't surprising if it was logged recently. Can you share what the bug title and description is?

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

StephenCarpenter — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 15:22:10 GMT

Did you manage to find a solution to the empty geometry? Thanks

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

geonexusjames — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 00:20:59 GMT

I'm having this same issue when attempting to upgrade a Electric UN to v4. Using Pro 2.6 with no patches. Downloading patches now, hoping that will fix the issue. Will also look into #BUG-000125941 and report back.

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

geonexusjames — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 00:22:54 GMT

did you hear anything else after this? Having this issue attempting to upgrade an electric UN to v4 in ArcGIS Pro 2.6

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

ChristopherCounsell — Sun, 15 May 2022 22:46:44 GMT

ArcGIS Pro 2.7 onward now supports checks in some enterprise databases and some repairs
https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/2.8/tool-reference/data-management/check-geometry.htm

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

MariaGiarrusso — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 19:56:29 GMT

I'm getting the same ArcGISServer 10.9.1 Log Error "Error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry." When I use the Pro 3.0.x Tool "Check Geometry", no errors are detected. Data in SQL Ent gdb. Did anyone find additional info on the bug BUG-000125941?

Re: Geodatabase error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

Darin_VanDeBerg — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 20:28:09 GMT

Error: The operation was attempted on an empty geometry.

Does anyone have an update? I am receiving the same error and have troubleshooted the same steps as MariaGiarrusso.