topic Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools... in Geoprocessing Questions

Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

FélixBrochu_Marier — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:37:17 GMT

Hey everyone.

I've been using arcMAP10 for 2 weeks now and i'm having a lot of problem with geoprocessing tools. Most of the operations i've tried (unions, intersect, clips) generate empty outputs. I've been reading on environment settings, and I have to admit I don't understand most of them since i'm not such an advanced user. I've never modified any of those but it seems my problems originate from them. Last week I found a workaround by putting the two standalone shapefiles I was trying to union in a geodatabase. I understand this might have solved the problem because the two shapes must have had two different extents. (?)

However, I'm still stuck with other problems of the like. Right now i'm trying to merge a couple shapefiles that are actually exports from one mother-shapefile. I still get an 000117 error, and when I try to import them in a geodatabase using the feature class to geodatabase (multiple) tool, they loose their content. They all have the same coordinate system. I must be missing something ?

Is there a way to set the environment settings so they won't hinder my work any longer? I don't recall having this kind of problems in previous versions!

i'm joining two of the shapes to merge, just in case.

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

KimOllivier — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:27:03 GMT

Try turning of the ArcGIS Desktop Index Service. This has been a strange fix, but proven for this error message.

(Use Google desktop indexing for searching if you need to search)

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

FélixBrochu_Marier — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 11:46:06 GMT

Kimo,

Thanks for replying. My problem seems to come and go, most days everything works fine, sometimes it doesnt. Now, I thought this kind of error only occured because of a conflict with Quicktime, wich I don't have installed on my computer (including itunes). Anyhow,next time my geoprocessings fail, I will try what you suggest!

thanks!

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

GeoffKlise — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:19:20 GMT

I would like to add to this post. I'm trying to do a merge on a bunch of shapefiles (ArcGIS 10) that all have the same field properties. It worked earlier, now it does not. I checked the environment settings, no problems there.

The quicktime issue came up with me about 2 months ago where I kept getting a desktop indexing error. I uninstalled it (according to the tech support person at my place of employment) and the error went away. I'm not sure how it relates to ArcGIS, but I find it problematic that an indexing service (on vista?) would be causing this error. Any suggestions ESRI?

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

ChrisSnyder — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:10:52 GMT

Did you accidentally set a default value for the Extent environment variable (a specified xy rectangle for which all geoprocessing tools will perform within)? I inadvertently did this a while back and had a hell of a time figuring out what I did to make all my outputs come back with no results.

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

MichaelPorter1 — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:59:05 GMT

I got this error when there was a space in a directory name on the path. Trying moving your data to c:\temp or another directory without spaces.

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

AdamBonnycastle — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:28:20 GMT

I just had a similar problem trying to intersect to polygon shapefiles. Running Repair Geometry did the trick.

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

ChrisChapman1 — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 12:07:50 GMT

Hi,

I had a similar problem with the intersect tool, repair geometry worked for me too.

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

XunjingWu — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 19:23:31 GMT

Repair geometry worked for me too!Thank you for the answer!

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

BramVan_Helleputte1 — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 00:01:27 GMT

I'm having the same issue with the select by location tool, and repair geom didn't do the trick

-selected layer is a line feature layer from an oracle spatial table

-selecting layer is a query layer from oracle spatial point table, layer containing only 1 point resulting form query => saved to disk with the copy features tool

-relation is intersect, with a radius of 50m

ArcgGIS version is 10.1 fyi

No sde used

What am I missing here?? I first thought it was due to differences in the geometry fields, because I had the same error with a self-drawn point feature class.

Weird thing is that it DOES work with a previously exported point form the database, which has exactly the same schema as the one I'm querying now...

Should I try a different export tool to materialize the query layer?

Would love some help on this! 🙂

Thanks!

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

DanaNolan — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 20:04:12 GMT

Empty output error can be due to a definition query on something that changes due to the geoprocessing tool. In other words, if there are no longer any records that satisfy it.

I also turn off background geoprocessing, in every map, every time, unless it is needed. This usually causes a more generic 99999 error, though, not empty output. Really don't get why something so problematic as this is the default. Pretty much all tools that change an existing file will fail due to locking issues. I concur with turning off the indexing service too, because it eats up too much processing.

Re: Recurring error 000117 : Empty output generated using geoprocessing tools...

DavidSalas — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 23:26:37 GMT

I run into this all the time and I don't know why this keeps happening. However, my solution is simple. Go into your environments and set the processing extent to "union of all inputs". That should take care of your problem.