topic Re: .mdb to useful info in Data Management Questions

.mdb to useful info

francescarusso — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 10:56:19 GMT

Hi all,

I have received many .mdb files but I am not able to see them in GIS. If I import them into ArcGIS 10.2.2 I can see just the table. Does anyone know how can I convert these .mdb into useful info? (I mean like shapefiles or any other data that I can see with GIS).

Many thanks,

Re: .mdb to useful info

Madanbhurati1 — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 11:14:31 GMT

is your .mdb files are personal geodatabases? or Microsoft access database files, just having non spatial data/table?

if these mdb are personal geodatabases containing spatial data. you can directly read it from ArcGIS Desktop 10.2. on other hand, if your non spatial table contains XY coordinates of feature in a table, which you can import using "Add XY data" tool and export them as shape file.

Re: .mdb to useful info

XanderBakker — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 11:17:16 GMT

An mdb could be a Personal Geodatabase, but then you would see featureclasses inside if there were any. In case the tables have coordinates you can use XY events (Make XY Event Layer—Help | ArcGIS Desktop ) to create point featureclasses and if you have addresses you can geocode and create points.

What is supposed to be inside the mdb files? Any metadata or explanation provided when the files were handed in to you?

Re: .mdb to useful info

francescarusso — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 11:40:48 GMT

Hi..

I think this is not a personal gdb. When I right click on the table in the TOA and do "Display x,y" I cannot see any value. (please see screenshot). If it is like it is I think there is not too much I can do..am I right? I do not even know what they are supposed to be as I cannot see any related data of them in the GIS package we received.

Thanks

Re: .mdb to useful info

XanderBakker — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 12:13:11 GMT

I see you are using ArcGIS Pro. What is interesting is that the fields EntityType and EntityColor are the only numeric fields, but those fields are normally used by CAD drawing (lie DWG and DXF from AutoCAD). Maybe the mdb files correspond to CDA drawings with the geometries. Did you only receive mdb files or is there more?

Certainly when the data was provided to you something must have been said about what it contains.

Re: .mdb to useful info

TedKowal — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 15:42:13 GMT

DGN's also use the same fields

And secondly ArcGIS Pro cannot read a personal geodatabase!!!! <-- my issue with ArcGIS Pro!

Re: .mdb to useful info

XanderBakker — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 15:53:03 GMT

Good addition Ted. Using Pro could be the reason that the featureclasses are not recognized.

I noticed that you upvoted the idea Enable ArcGIS Pro to access ESRI Personal Geodatabases . Personally, I don't have any workflows that requires the use of PGDB's and due to the limitations I am happy that I moved away from them many years ago.

Re: .mdb to useful info

XanderBakker — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 16:10:58 GMT

Hi FRANESCARUSSO22 , would it be possible to share a MDB file to validate if it really isn't a PGDB? Ted has a very good point that it could be ArcGIS Pro not recognizing the data.

Re: .mdb to useful info

TedKowal — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 16:25:10 GMT

Yes! I had to.... My use for GIS is not really Mapping but working with Data and a lot of our data comes in as Access files and other MS office files. 32 bit reason is not acceptable when there is a 64 bit engine available from Microsoft! Heck I would even live with it being slow!

Re: .mdb to useful info

RobertWright1 — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 17:43:33 GMT

Hi, Francesca.

If it is an access database, you could create an OLE DB connection to the access table, and pull in the table. Then you could create a join to another feature class. Then export to a new file. I do not know if this would work in PRO.

Example I have used, is a ole db connection to an access table that contains all Variances in our city over the past 40 years... join it to an address table, and export it out as a new Variance file.

Allen