SQL server geodatabase exported from SQL server back to ArcGIS format?

[Anonymous User]

Original User: alnesbit

Hello all,

My knowledge of ArcSDE and SQL server is limited so I apologize if this question seems silly.

I need to get a copy of an ArcSDE SQL server (2000) geodatabase from someone but they don't have ArcGIS intalled to connect to it (I could do a connect in ArcCat if they did and then just export to an mdb). So can they export the database using (within) SQL server 2000? How do they do that? Once I have that copy how can I use it within ArcGIS? Can I just put it on my server and connect to it in ArcCat? They can export shapefiles but I need the network and relationship tables from the geodatabase. I don't think it's that easy but wondering if this is possible.

I appreciate any help and knowledge!

Thanks,

[JoeBorgione]

Hello all,

My knowledge of ArcSDE and SQL server is limited so I apologize if this question seems silly.

I need to get a copy of an ArcSDE SQL server (2000) geodatabase from someone but they don't have ArcGIS intalled to connect to it (I could do a connect in ArcCat if they did and then just export to an mdb). So can they export the database using (within) SQL server 2000? How do they do that? Once I have that copy how can I use it within ArcGIS? Can I just put it on my server and connect to it in ArcCat? They can export shapefiles but I need the network and relationship tables from the geodatabase. I don't think it's that easy but wondering if this is possible.

I appreciate any help and knowledge!

Thanks,

Assuming you have some flavour of Sql Server, you can have that someone run a SQL backup, and then give you the backup.  Then you can restore it to your instance of SQL Server; however, if you have a later version of SQL Server you'll need to run an update in SQL Server to get it into the right version for you.

I've done this several times to get data to ESRI tech support, as well as upgrading from 9.3.1 SDE/SQL Server 2000 to 10.0/SDE/SQL Server 2008

Hope this helps-

[Anonymous User]

Original User: alnesbit

Ah good idea.

I don't have SQL server but I see on Microsoft's website they have "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 RTM - Express with Management Tools". If I download this, do you have any idea how to install it so I can restore to this database? Or I guess I could look for a 2000 version since that's the data that I'm getting.

Thank you,

[Anonymous User]

Original User: alnesbit

Ah good idea.

I don't have SQL server but I see on Microsoft's website they have "Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 RTM - Express with Management Tools". If I download this, do you have any idea how to install it so I can restore to this database? Or I guess I could look for a 2000 version since that's the data that I'm getting.

Thank you,

Or I could ask, if I installed SQL Server Express and set up the instance that comes with ArcGIS Desktop ArcEditor, could I use that to restore the copy of the database that I'm getting? Perhaps it's all in the ArcGIS 10 help docs.

[JoeBorgione]

Andrea-

Sorry, I've never used the product you mention.  I don't think a full blown SQL Server database will restore to a SQL Express data base.

[Anonymous User · Accepted solution]

Original User: kpeter

Hi,

This isn't going to be in the ArcGIS documentation - most of the stuff you're talking about is strictly SQL Server, and you need to follow their instructions/recommendations for moving and upgrading databases.

You wouldn't be able to install SQL Server Express and restore the SQL Server 2000 database unless the 2000 database was Personal Edition and you were restoring it to SQL Server 2005 Express.  See Microsoft's supported upgrade paths:
2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143393%28v=sql.90%29.aspx
2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143393%28v=SQL.100%29.aspx
There is no SQL Server Express at the 2000 release.

You mentioned that you need to preserve networks and relationship classes...there're no versions in there that need to be preserved, right?  If so, could the person providing the data export it to a file geodatabase, zip that up, and send it to you?

-Kim

[Anonymous User]

Original User: alnesbit

Hi,

This isn't going to be in the ArcGIS documentation - most of the stuff you're talking about is strictly SQL Server, and you need to follow their instructions/recommendations for moving and upgrading databases.

You wouldn't be able to install SQL Server Express and restore the SQL Server 2000 database unless the 2000 database was Personal Edition and you were restoring it to SQL Server 2005 Express.  See Microsoft's supported upgrade paths:
2005: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143393%28v=sql.90%29.aspx
2008: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143393%28v=SQL.100%29.aspx
There is no SQL Server Express at the 2000 release.

You mentioned that you need to preserve networks and relationship classes...there're no versions in there that need to be preserved, right?  If so, could the person providing the data export it to a file geodatabase, zip that up, and send it to you?

-Kim

Hi Kim,

Thank you for the information. It looks as though accessing this SQL 2000 database through ArcGIS software and exporting to file geodatabase or mdb is our only option (nope, no versions). They don't have very accessible ArcView software -it's not installed as far as they know but they're not sure. They don't have GIS personnel just IT. I might have to go there with my lap top and access their ArcSDE sql database with my software and get the data that way.

Thank you for all your help everyone!

[Anonymous User]

Original User: alnesbit

Hello again,

I was just reading both of your helpful info on this thread: http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/56407-ArcGIS10-Add-Spatial-Database-Connection-to-MS-SQL-Server-200... . Wowie, talk about confusing! but it was good sideline reading for me.

I have ArcView 10 and now I have a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database that I got from a client (it is used as an ArcSDE database in their office, they must have some sort of ArcGIS server enterprise level software). I learned from that other thread that I can do a query layer to view the data. Since I don't have a level of ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS server that gives me ArcSDE, querying the layer to view the data is my only option, correct?

Is there a way I can export the query view back to get a geodatabase from it?

I downloaded the 6-month free trial of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 just to restore this client's database on my server. But my ultimate goal is just to get a copy of their geodatabase. They don't have a GIS dept and are unsure of how to use their GIS software so that's why what I've gotten so far is a backup copy of their Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database.

Thanks,

[VinceAngelo]

You can only do a query layer to a SQL-Server database if the table uses GEOMETRY or
GEOGRAPHY storage.

It'd be far easier to get the client to dump the ArcSDE contents as file geodatabase, shapefile,
or ASCII, then import it again than to access an SDEBINARY storage ArcSDE database without
ArcSDE.

- V

[Anonymous User]

Original User: alnesbit

You can only do a query layer to a SQL-Server database if the table uses GEOMETRY or
GEOGRAPHY storage.

It'd be far easier to get the client to dump the ArcSDE contents as file geodatabase, shapefile,
or ASCII, then import it again than to access an SDEBINARY storage ArcSDE database without
ArcSDE.

- V

Thank you for the response. I do have their shapefiles, however I need to keep their network tables and keep their network connectivity set up. Unless....maybe I can just use their shapefiles, import those to a new geodatabase and then recreate the network. It's been a while since I worked with networks so I'm going to need to read up on those again. What do you think?