Documentation for geodatabase structure

[MateiPaul]

Hello! soory if this request seems a cliquet for you but I desperatly need to find some documentation for geodatabase file structure(especially .mdb and .gdb files), because I'm in my last year of studies at my academy and i'm preparing my Licence Thesis and I searched everywere and didn't find a thing. Please help me! Thank you!

[VinceAngelo]

The logical layout of Personal Geodatabase (.mdb) and File Geodatabase (.gdb) is documented
in the help system.  Unlike the shapefile format, the binary format of .mdb/.gdb files isn't publicly
documented anywhere (.mdb is managed via the Microsoft Jet engine, and .gdb is managed
directly by ArcObjects). 

The File Geodatabase API is in the final stages of release, but the API only provides access
to the data in file geodatabases (and only 10.0 FGDB at that), not the implementation details.

How are these formats linked to your thesis?

- V

[MateiPaul]

Yes, I know they are in the product help but I'm interested in their internal structure, bits arrangement, how these files are structured, etc.
My thesis is about conversion algorithms between raster files, vector files, and vector-raster conversions.
Maybe you know some documentation where I can find such specification about .mdb, .gdb!

Thank you for your help!

[VinceAngelo]

The internal structure of those formats are proprietary, and will not be published.
This is quite common with working formats that evolve with each release -- Once
published, the originator loses flexibility to adapt to changing technology (which
is one of the reasons that shapefiles are limited to 2Gb in the .shp component).

Since the FileGBDAPI exposes attributes though getter/setter functions, and uses
the shapefile geometry spec for vector transfer, you likely have enough to tick the
".gdb" checkbox.

- V

"The nice thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from."
-- Andrew S. Tanenbaum

[MateiPaul]

ok! thank you!

Nice quote by the way!