Enable Editor Tracking documentation appears to be incorrect

[GraemeBrowning]

In the online help for Enabling and Managing Editor Tracking it says "To enable editor tracking with predefined settings, right-click the dataset in the Catalog window, point to Manage, and click Enable Editor Tracking".

However, when I right-click on a feature class in a file geodatabase in the Catalog window of ArcGIS for Desktop Basic 10.1, and point to Manage, the only options I see are Compress File Geodatabase and Uncompress File Geodatabase (grayed out) - did this workflow get changed after the documentation was last updated?

[RhondaGlennon]

The documentation is correct. You should be able to right-click a dataset > Manage > Enable Editor Tracking. Unfortunately, with a Basic license, the command was left off the Manage menu (this is a bug planned to be fixed in 10.1 SP1), although it is present with other licenses. However, the geoprocessing tool or dataset properties dialog box can still be used.

In cases where you can see Enable Editor Tracking and Disable Editor Tracking but they are disabled, check the type of item you are right-clicking (feature classes can definitely be tracked) and go to the properties of the geodatabase to make sure it is from ArcGIS 10 or newer.

Thanks for reporting this.

[GraemeBrowning]

Thanks Rhonda

I am using a Basic license so that fits.  Is there a bug number I can use to track when it is resolved, please?

Also, would you mind testing the Enable Editor Tracking tool to try adding all the fields without specifying anything but the feature class names, please?  Although, they are supposed to be optional I found when I ran this as a Batch grid, I had to enter field names and check the box to say "add if they don't exist" before it could run.

BTW I was really pleased to see that I could start a Batch grid direct from the Search window - not sure if this was fixed/added by 10.1 but I'm pretty sure it was not working early in 10.0.

- Graeme

[RhondaGlennon · Accepted solution]

The bug is NIM081964: Enable and Disable Editor Tracking commands should be available off the Manage submenu with a Basic license.

I think what you are hitting with batch mode is the same experience you get when running the tool by itself on a single feature class. Each individual parameter is optional, but when taken collectively, at least one of them is required for the tool to execute. You need to enter the name for each field you want to be tracked AND also indicate that you want the field to be created if it doesn't exist. Perhaps we could enhance the tool workflow with better defaults and validity checks.

Thanks for the feedback.

[MarkYoung]

Hi,
My options to enable editor tracking are greyed out in the Sde. I have found that editor tracking does not work on a file geodatabase created in 10.0, a new geodatabase has to be created in 10.1 and data in the 10.0 copied and pasted to the 10.1 version. However, how do I enable editor tracking in the Sde (we are using 9.2 Sde) as the options are greyed out. On that subject I tried to create a new connection to my Sde - luckily the existing connections from 10.0 template were puled across and the drop down menu has the option of 'Application Server' but this option is not there if I try and create a brand new connection to the Sde.
Thanks
Mark

[GraemeBrowning]

Editor Tracking is new in ArcGIS 10.1 so I would not expect it to be possible to enable it on an ArcSDE or File Geodatabase from an earlier version without upgrading it to 10.1 first.