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Why are my field names and values changing when I bring them into my map?

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06-04-2018 09:09 AM
KevinChristy1
Regular Contributor

Good afternoon,

I am trying to bring in some point data from a view that was generated from a SQL database into ArcGIS Pro and some of my field names and values are changing. For example: a field named "0000To0159" was changed to "To0159" and the data values were changed from being binary (0 or 1 dependent on an occurrence) to just "0", "200", "400", etc. From what I can find the field names and values are allowed in ArcGIS Pro unless there is some information I cannot find.

Thanks in advance.

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RexRobichaux2
Frequent Contributor

Hi Kevin, 

 Thanks for posting the screenshots. I have some information that I hope is helpful although it's probably not what you'd want to hear at this point. Essentially, field names starting with an underscore or numeric value is not supported, and ArcGIS is unable to properly interpret such data if it comes across it. The reasons for this or described in more depth here: FAQ: What characters should not be used in ArcGIS for field names and table names? 

I'd try renaming the columns or altering them so that they begin with an alpha value such as A000to0159, etc., and see if that has any affect on the behavior you see in ArcGIS clients. This also applies to table names- and more from the database perspective can be found online (here is one page describing why this can cause issues: Database - What names should I NOT use for tables/fields/..?-VBForums 

Again probably not what you wanted to hear but I hope it's helpful nonetheless-

Best,

Rex R

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RexRobichaux2
Frequent Contributor

Hi Kevin, 

 Could you post a screenshot of the tables and / or view columns from SQL Management studio as well as the view properties < fields in ArcGIS Pro so that we can compare what data types SQL is storing the fields as vs. what ArcGIS pro is interpreting them as? Is the view or underlying data registered with the geodatabase, or is this just spatial (or tabular) un-registered data in SQL? Thanks!

Best,

Rex R

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KevinChristy1
Regular Contributor

Rex,

Yes, the data is registered.

This is the SQL table view:

And here it is from ArcGIS Pro:

and

Hope this helps you help me!

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KevinChristy1
Regular Contributor

Also from SQL.

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Asrujit_SenGupta
MVP Regular Contributor

FAQ: What characters should not be used in ArcGIS for field names and table names? 

Do not start field or table names with an underscore or a number

Also make sure the Data Type being used is supported by ArcGIS.

RexRobichaux2
Frequent Contributor

Hi Kevin, 

 Thanks for posting the screenshots. I have some information that I hope is helpful although it's probably not what you'd want to hear at this point. Essentially, field names starting with an underscore or numeric value is not supported, and ArcGIS is unable to properly interpret such data if it comes across it. The reasons for this or described in more depth here: FAQ: What characters should not be used in ArcGIS for field names and table names? 

I'd try renaming the columns or altering them so that they begin with an alpha value such as A000to0159, etc., and see if that has any affect on the behavior you see in ArcGIS clients. This also applies to table names- and more from the database perspective can be found online (here is one page describing why this can cause issues: Database - What names should I NOT use for tables/fields/..?-VBForums 

Again probably not what you wanted to hear but I hope it's helpful nonetheless-

Best,

Rex R