Can multiple users own and delete the same feature class?

[DonnyVelazquez]

I'v read through the docs and want to make sure I'm reading this right.
Can only 1 user create and own a feature class? Is that why when I
right click a feature class in catalog to manage it. All items are grayed out in the menu, unless its the user that created it?

Thanks for any info.

[JoeBorgione]

I'v read through the docs and want to make sure I'm reading this right.
Can only 1 user create and own a feature class? Is that why when I
right click a feature class in catalog to manage it. All items are grayed out in the menu, unless its the user that created it?

Thanks for any info.

Are talking about in a SDE geodatabase?  Yes, it can only have one owner, the user that created it; however, you could set permissions to other users to edit and I suppose delete it.  I suppose the same would be true in a FGDB on a shared network drive.  You would need to set permissions accordingly.

[DonnyVelazquez]

Yes SDE geodatabase. This is using SQL Server 2012.

How could I have multiple users be able to delete and manage
the same feature class?

Thanks!

[DonnyVelazquez]

I think this would depend on the type of authentication you are using, database authentication or operating system authentication.  Either way you would have to add users or create users in SQL and provide them with the proper permissions in SQL.

If you are using database authentication then in ArcGIS (usually ArcCatalog) you have to connect to the data as the owner, then right click on the feature layer or feature dataset and select 'privileges'.  Enter the user name you created in SQL and select which permissions you want that user to have.  To grant view only privileges you would give select privileges only, for editing you would also grant 'Update, Insert, & Delete' privileges. 

For operating system authentication you set the privileges in SQL for each user, you can create roles that contain a group of users with the same privileges.  (for example, parcel editors, admin editors, etc).

I tried using Windows Auth with SQL roles but I couldn't get it to work. The manage menu would always stay grayed out unless
I was logged in as the user that created it.

[DonnyVelazquez]

Depending on the number of editors you have and your organization you may or may not want to use operating system authentication.  Personally, I think that it's easier to create users in SQL for a specific purpose to view and/or edit only certain feature classes or feature datasets.  This way as employees come and go you don't have to maintain the users and roles in your SQL database.  You can have one user who is the data owner/editor, one for only viewing data, and then setup all database connections as database authentication and create the database connection with either viewer or editor privileges.

I think I'm going to end up doing that.

Thanks

[JoeBorgione]

Personally, I'd never use windows authentication for a SQl server db.  I add my editors to a  group called (drum roll) editors, and everybody else gets read only by default.  All my editors also share the same schema as well.  Nobody owns a schema, that way its easier to drop them when the go to greener pastures.