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ArcGIS Pro metadata overwrite capability

863
3
09-01-2020 09:05 AM
Status: Open
Labels (1)
by Anonymous User
Not applicable

The current (2.6) metadata import functionality in Pro does not allow the option of overwriting completely the existing metadata, or deleting it completely. Importing an updated or cleaned-up ArcGIS metadata xml fails to delete unwanted material such as geoprocessing steps. This is extremely inconvenient when trying to manage data for distribution. Please add back the capabilities available in ArcCatalog to delete metadata or overwrite metadata completely.

3 Comments
TimMinter
by
‎12-11-2020 02:57 PM

If the FBThumb / Kudo thingy is the new "vote this idea up" thingy, then I'm voting up... or thumbing or something.  Yes, please consider making it easy to export, delete, overwrite, edit, view, and redact confidential system information from metadata for all objects that support metadata.

Edit - a little while later...  it turns out there is a Rube Goldberg (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machine) approach to doing this.  Posting it here so I can find it again when the need arises.

  1. ArcGIS Pro > Project > Options > Geoprocessing > uncheck "Write geoprocessing operations to dataset metadata" TimMinter_2-1607729511153.png

     

  2. make a new feature class and import the fields from your original feature class, being sure to define the coordinate reference system the same.  TimMinter_0-1607728977140.png

     

  3. Use the Append GP tool to load the records from your original feature class to your new feature class.  You turned off geoprocessing metadata logging, so it won't record in the metadata, hopefully.
  4. View the metadata for the original feature class, then "save as XML" (don't be tempted to export) like this:  TimMinter_1-1607729272796.png

    I can't always reproduce the steps to get to that control.  Sometimes it appears, sometimes it doesn't.  Might be another idea...  anyway,

  5. import that metadata to your new feature class.
  6. Confirm that it all worked as you hoped.
  7. Done.  Whew.

tim, Occasional Contributor III (my new Esri volunteer job title)

by Anonymous User
‎07-21-2021 05:40 AM

Hey, Tim, yup, that is a work-around. Thanks for posting!

But if the feature class has millions of records, a darned inconvenient one. Being pro-active about turning OFF the capture of geoprocessing steps into metadata is helpful, especially spreading the word to data-creating colleagues since it is so hard to get rid of those entries once they are there.

TimMinter
by
‎07-22-2021 07:57 AM

Hi Edith,

Concur!  I have one dataset with 7 feature classes and 7 tables that totals out at ~600m records.  I try to do most of my work in SQL Server, but have to head up to object-relational software land (ArcGIS) occasionally to do stuff.  Pokey slow, and in order to get anything done in human time requires very careful arrangement and application of computing resources and judicial use of ArcGIS functions.

cheers,

tim