idea arcpy.da.Describe should return the same data as arcpy.Describe for a workspace (it does not currently) in ArcGIS Pro Ideas

arcpy.da.Describe should return the same data as arcpy.Describe for a workspace (it does not currently)

AJR — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 21:55:39 GMT

The arcpy.Describe function when used against an enterprise geodatabase connection returns the server information (authentication_mode, database, user, instance, etc.) via. the connectionProperties method. This information isn't available when using arcpy.da.Describe and it should be.

Re: arcpy.da.Describe should return the same data as arcpy.Describe for a workspace (it does not currently) - Status changed to: Under Consideration

ShaunWalbridge — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 04:50:14 GMT

Thanks for your submission. This makes good sense and we'll look into the discrepancy.

Re: arcpy.da.Describe should return the same data as arcpy.Describe for a workspace (it does not currently)

AJR — Tue, 06 May 2025 16:11:28 GMT

Still an issue in AGP 3.4.3

Re: arcpy.da.Describe should return the same data as arcpy.Describe for a workspace (it does not currently) - Status changed to: In Product Plan

HannesZiegler — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:28:14 GMT

We're working on this! This status does not guarantee that the functionality will be in the next release, but development work has begun. Release cycles vary by product so make sure to check the product life cycle information to get an idea of when to expect the next release.

Re: arcpy.da.Describe should return the same data as arcpy.Describe for a workspace (it does not currently)

VenkataKondepati — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 15:37:36 GMT

Good to fix this issue in future release so it can have consistent results.

Re: arcpy.da.Describe should return the same data as arcpy.Describe for a workspace (it does not currently) - Status changed to: Implemented

HannesZiegler — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:38:26 GMT

Hi all, thank you for your patience - this has been implemented in ArcGIS Pro 3.6, arcpy.da.Describe now returns the full set of connection properties, matching arcpy.Describe:

>>> desc = arcpy.da.Describe(conn_file)
>>> pprint (desc.get("connectionProperties"))
{'authentication_mode': 'DBMS',
 'database': 'geoprocessing',
 'instance': 'sde:postgresql:<machine>',
 'is_geodatabase': 'true',
 'server': '<machine>',
 'user': '<user>',
 'version': 'sde.DEFAULT'}

Re: arcpy.da.Describe should return the same data as arcpy.Describe for a workspace (it does not currently)

JoshuaBixby — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:13:41 GMT

@HannesZiegler , great news, thanks for sharing and for getting the functionality fixed/updated.