Chris and Dan,
Thank you for your quick feedback and help! Let me say up front myself and some others are breaking into the ArcGIS realm and know enough to make us dangerous. Doing the explosives safety site planning originally involved using an MS Access DB called ESS that interfaced with the ArcGIS runtime engine initially. We have now progressed to using ArcGIS desktop basic Version 10.3.1.
We receive the data files from the installation master planners for us to build the DB's. This usually consists of an access or excel file in a text format that is the real property data (Fac ID, Fac Number, RPUID, square footage, Barricade data, number of souls, etc...) and includes a number of shape files and a *.SID image file or multiples we just tile. We import those layers into the ESS program. We then perform a detailed analysis of all facilities and transportation routes for standoff distances and authorized net explosive weights given those distances allowing commanders and directors to make decisions on where and when to place installation infrastructure assets thus minimizing damage, injury and fatality potentials to the mission assets.
In the past we have been receiving shape files that were no problem to import into the program.
We are now receiving a myriad of personal and file geodatabases and we can import the imagery with little to no issues. The main issue is data quality!
We can import the individual layers, but the problem we are running into is the fact that not one master planner in the Army has their real property data standardized. Yes, they are using the SDSFIE standard for the most part, but their numbering of facilities is completely different at each installation. With that said, we have to go in and edit some of the data to eliminate duplicates and null values and modify facility numbers: (Ex., Facility might have four different numbers assigned with all being the same--Fac: 001 Office; Fac: 001 Generator Support; Fac: 001 Explosives Operation. We have to go in and renumber as 001A, 001B, 001C, etc...
The version of Excel is 2013, 32-bit.
The version of Access is 2013 32-bit.
I believe the information is there, we just haven't achieved the user 10% factor level of expertise yet. LOL
I hope this clarifies.
Brook Morris