Create new feature class in existing SQL Server Enterprise Geodatabase

[AndrewL]

Hi I am pretty new to SQL server. I just want to create a new feature class in the SQL Server Enterprise Geodatabase.

I am able to view my sde connection (obs.sde) in ArcCatalog and connect. There are existing feature classes within the geodatabase. These were created by my predecessor. I was hoping it would be as simple as right-clicking the connection file and selecting 'Create new feature class', but that is not an option.

I have used Management Studio to login to the SQL Server in order to create queries to view and delete data.

I'm not really sure where to start. I haven't found any tutorials on this.

Thank you for any help.

[847396730]

Right-click your SDE connection in ArcCatalog, then click New.

Also, as a general rule, it is unwise to manipulate your geodatabase using your DBMS manager (SQL Server Management Studio).  You should do your best to use geodatabase-aware tools instead.  I have only encountered a single situation in which I absolutely had to manipulate something from SSMS, and it was an absolute fluke which now has a COTS workaround.

[AndrewL]

Thank you for the quick response!

I did right-click, but I do not see "New." Perhaps I do not have sufficient permissions? If not I can talk to someone about that.

If I right-click "Administration", "Administer Geodatabase.." and "Compress Geodatabase" are grayed out.

Thank you.

[847396730]

That is interesting.  If you can connect and you can delete from SSMS, permissions seem an unlikely cause, but it might be worth checking.  I am curious; are there other ways in which your right-click context menu differs from mine (attached)?

[AndrewL]

That is interesting.  If you can connect and you can delete from SSMS, permissions seem an unlikely cause, but it might be worth checking.  I am curious; are there other ways in which your right-click context menu differs from mine (attached)?

I thought that was odd too since I can delete from SSMS.

Yes my menu does not contains Import and Export, but otherwise it is the same.

[VinceAngelo]

Be careful of deleting anything that's been registered with ArcSDE or with ArcGIS
from SQL tools.  That's the quick way to geodatabase registry corruption.

Creation through ArcGIS will fail if there isn't a schema that matches the username
within the database (that matches the login).  You can almost get by read-only
without the schema, but not once tables start getting created.

- V

[AndrewL]

Thanks Vince.

Do you suggest using a Python script to delete data from ArcSDE?

Thanks

[VinceAngelo]

ArcGIS database access, at least until post-10.2,  is organized as a three tier software stack:

• Geodatabse


• ArcSDE


• RDBMS

You should never use lower-level tools to modify things created or registered with higher
levels in the stack.  You can use SQL to CREATE and DROP things not registered with ArcSDE.
You can use ArcSDE to CREATE and DROP things not registered with the geodatabase.  Once
registered with the Geodatabase, only ArcGIS tools should be used to DROP them.  This can
mean Python or ArcGIS GUI.

I generally do my database design up front, configure scripts to create and register the tables,
then use automated tools to populate them.  I don't have a general need to use scripts to
delete ad-hoc objects (if the creation scripts are wrong, I need to restart from scratch anyway).

- V