Loading rasters into SDE issues

[BrendanDwyer]

Having a problem loading rasters into an sde geodatabase.  I connect as a database user (db authentication), the user is a schema owner, has created several feature datasets and has select/insert/update/delete privileges on those datasets.  When I try to import a raster (or copy and paste, or create a new raster), I get the following error:

Invalid SQL Syntax: Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'PRIMARY'

SQL Server Native Client 11.0

No spatial reference exists.

I am going to bet there's some sort of permissions issue here, and the first error is the result of the user not having the rights to create a table.  But I'm able to create feature datasets and feature classes and import vector data.  I'm not sure what other privileges the user needs if it can create the tables for vector data.

We are running SQL Server 2008R2, and Arc Desktop 10.2.1.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks

[JakeSkinner]

Hi Brendan,

Usually this error indicates a syntax error in your dbtune file.  If you are trying to load a large raster dataset, or create a large mosaic of rasters, I would recommend not doing so in your SDE geodatabase.  I would recommend creating a mosaic dataset.  Creating a mosaic dataset is much faster, does not consume nearly as much space in your database, and the performance is faster.

[BrendanDwyer]

Jake,

Thanks for responding.  The raster isn't that big, I think it's about 15 to 30 megs.  It's an output of a geoprocessing script.  Any suggestion what parameter could be causing the problem in the dbtune file?

[VinceAngelo · Accepted solution]

Jake is right -- Your issue is likely a syntax error in the DBTUNE keyword.

I'm wondering why you're loading rasters into ArcSDE at all.  The ability of ArcGIS Server to cache map services at 9.2 put a stake in the heart of the need to fill databases with raster tiles.  While raster columns in ArcSDE are still supported, new raster development has focused on mosaic datasets and Image Server services, and is all filesystem oriented.

Finally, I'd recommend that you make sure that GeoNet posts are made "In a Place" not placed in your own private discussion space.  Adding keywords can certainly help get your post in front of the right folks, but posting queries in Places or Groups will make sure that as many of the right folks see it as possible.  ArcSDE-focused queries often wind up in Managing Data or ArcGIS for Server, and raster-oriented discussions have a home in the Imagery and Rasters group.

- V

[BrendanDwyer]

Vince,

OK, thanks for the info.  So...the 'recommended' raster storage concept is to store the rasters on a file system, refer to them in a SDE using a mosaic dataset, and serve the mosaic dataset using image server?

Regarding the post, I'm still getting my head around geonet concepts.  Thanks for the tip.

[VinceAngelo]

If the mosaic dataset images are filesystem-based, then ArcSDE would just be a bottleneck; I use file geodatabase to manage mosaic datasets.

Glad you found the "Move" on your own.  See, you are getting comfortable here!

-V

[BrendanDwyer]

Vince,

Yeah, found the Move button.  I can be kinda clever sometimes.

Thanks for the info.  I'll look into the file gdb option.

-Brendan

[NicholasO_Connor]

Hello Vince

>> then ArcSDE would just be a bottleneck; I use file geodatabase to manage mosaic datasets

How do you handle the security on this?

Currently we have our raster data in Oracle 11 / SDE 9.3.1 but wish to switch to mosaic datasets. So we use Oracle Users and Roles to control who has access to certain rasters or not.

[VinceAngelo]

I haven't needed to handle security on rasters, but file system protections would be necessary for the rasters, so there's no reason you couldn't bin your FGDBs parallel to the data and pyramid folders, with each silo protected by filesystem privileges.  Many rasters are exposed as basemap services, in which case the access would be managed by ArcGIS Server service permissions.

- V