If you are a customer with an Oracle geodatabase and are planning to upgrade your enterprise geodatabase to ArcGIS 10.2.1, please read the following technical article before you upgrade, as some issues exist that directly impact the upgrading process. If you have any further questions or problems not cited in the technical article, please contact Esri Technical Support.

With the release of 10.2 and plans to deprecate the ArcSDE command line tools, you may be wondering how current tasks that use these tools can be completed elsewhere. I wanted to share some workflows that have alternate user interface tools in ArcCatalog/ArcMap that will make transitioning as seamless as possible.



If you are a frequent visitor of the ArcSDE Administration Command reference you may have noticed within the latest versions of the command line reference, there are numerous areas that include a little globe to indicate alternate or recommended workflows:

NOTE: There are no web-based versions of the ArcSDE command line reference for 10.1 and 10.2, but it can still be accessed on the server on which the application server/command line tools are installed.

In order to put a nice spin on delivery I will use a ‘Do This, Not That’ theme with a list of tasks within the Enterprise geodatabase that have alternate solutions or tools. I have also thrown in a few tasks that may not be directly related to the command line, but which have new recommended workflows.

Create an Enterprise geodatabase:

Use the Create/Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tool instead of using the ArcSDE Post Installation Wizard

Recalculate the layer extent:

Use the Feature extent tab within the layer properties of ArcCatalog instead of the sdelayer -o alter -E calc command line tool.

Create a multi-versioned/versioned view:

Register as versioned instead of using the sdetable -o create_mv_view command line tool.

• At version 10.1, the Create Versioned View tool can be used if the data was already versioned prior to upgrading and doesn’t currently have a versioned view created.
• At version 10.2, the Create Versioned View tool is removed. Use the ‘Enable SQL Access’ context menu for these instances where the object does not have a versioned view.

Place a layer in load only or normal IO mode to bulk load data or rebuild the spatial index:

Use the Layer Properties Index tab, or the Remove/Add Spatial Index geoprocessing tool instead of the sdelayer –o load_only_io/ normal_io commands.

View the spatial column of a table that is not registered with SDE or the geodatabase:

View in Database Connections in ArcCatalog or drag/drop into ArcMap as a query layer (feature discovery) instead of using sdelayer -o register

Managing connections:

• View currently connected users for geodatabase / view locks:

Use the Connections and Locks tab within the Geodatabase Administration tool instead of using sdemon –o info –I users/locks

• Prevent new connections to the geodatabase:

Prevent new connections to the geodatabase in geodatabase Properties > Connections tab instead of using sdemon -o pause/resume

• Disconnect users from the geodatabase:

Use Geodatabase Administration tool > Connections tab > Disconnect instead of sdemon -o kill

Importing datasets to the Enterprise geodatabase – shapefiles and coverages:

Use the Feature Class to Feature Class (conversion) geoprocessing tool instead of shp2sde –o create command line tool.

With the growing need for organizations to distribute their data in remote locations, geodatabase replication can help to manage the changes made between geodatabases in different locations. When working with distributed and remote geodatabases it is often asked, “What is the best method to create and setup replicas?”



Working over a WAN (wide area network) or the Internet in disconnected environments is often simplified by using a geodata service to create replicas and synchronize edits for replicas. Using the Create Replica from Server tool can be useful when needing to create replicas on smaller datasets, but because this tool processes the data and replica registration in one step, it may not be a good fit for larger datasets. What is a suitable workflow to follow when the datasets to be replicated are very large?

Due to the size of data it is often not possible to create the replica using a geodata service where the data is being created and transported to the relative replica geodatabase during this replica creation process. In these cases it is better to manually transport the data from the parent geodatabase to the child location and then register the replica with the register with existing data option. The option of replicating with a disconnected workflow by creating the replica and transporting using a geodatabase or an XML workspace document is another option. Keep in mind this XML file has the potential of being very large as it will contain the data and the replica registration.

It may be better just to copy the data to the remote location first, and then create the replica registration by using the Create Replica wizard saved to an XML document that uses the 'Register with existing data' option. Then, this XML document can be imported to the child geodatabase to finalize the replica registration (use the data option on the Import XML workspace document when importing to the child geodatabase.)

In this workflow there will be an example of first transporting the data to be replicated to the destination geodatabase and then creating the replica registration via a geodata and map service with the register with existing data option.

Prerequisites

• Geoprocessing tools like Create Replica from Server and Create Replica cannot be used with this option as it is only available in ArcMap via the Distributed Geodatabase toolbar.
• There are several requirements or prerequisites for the data when using the 'Register with existing data option' during the replica creation / registration:
  • GlobalIDS must exist on the data that will be included in the replica prior to copying to the destination geodatabase.
  • The data must match exactly on parent and child geodatabase.
• Please reference the Preparing data for replication and Replicas created with the option to register with existing data help topics for the tips section, which discusses important considerations.
• Map services and geodata services must have their data sources registered as data stores prior to publishing. Please see the About registering your data with server help reference for more information about registering data stores.

Create/Register the Replica via a Geodata/Map Service

Steps:

1. Copy data to the destination geodatabase and follow all the prerequisites for distributed data/replication.
2. Register data stores for the geodatabase that the geodata and map services will be published from.
3. On the parent geodatabase server, publish a geodata service. (Publishing a geodata service)
4. On the parent geodatabase server, create a map document with the data that will be included in the replica and publish this as a map service. Note: Make sure to use the same name as the geodata service and place the map service in the same location as the geodata service.
   (Publishing a map service)
5. On the child geodatabase server, browse to the GIS Servers and add the previously created map service to a new ArcMap document. On the Distributed Geodatabase toolbar, launch the Create Replica tool and create a replica using the specific replica type needed (for example, two-way).
6. Within the ‘What do you want to replicate?’ section, select ‘Register with existing data only’.
7. Select the local child geodatabase within the ‘Which geodatabase do you want to replicate data to?’ section.
8. Provide the replica with a name.
9. Optionally, select ‘Show advanced options for overriding replica defaults when I click next’ to change the geodatabase model to full or simple and to select the Spatial extent for the replica.

Additional Resources

• Working with Geodatabase Replicas - 10.2
• Scenarios using distributed data - 10.2

Tuning your RDBMS is an important aspect of maintaining your enterprise geodatabase. Two tasks found in all Esri-supported RDBMS are updating DBMS statistics and rebuilding indexes. If you are loading data in bulk or running query-intensive DML operations with SQL, these tasks need to be done more often. Fortunately for us, these tasks are relatively straightforward to accomplish.



The scripts found in Esri Knowledge Base Article 24518 provide the SQL to both update statistics and rebuild indexes.

NOTE:

• Oracle databases can be set to automatically update statistics.
• The SQL Server script in KB24518 is still applicable for geodatabases in SQL Server 2008, 2008R2 and 2012.

Lidar data is become increasingly available and there are likewise new tools to analyze and display the data. LAS is the public file format for the interchange of three dimensional point cloud data between data users. LAS information can be downloaded and has a file extension of *.las. The LAS Dataset was created in order to grant the ability to utilize LAS data quickly in ArcMap. However, with the advent of the new format, new questions are raised, including what types of analysis, geoprocessing tools and toolbar buttons can be used on a LAS dataset. The ArcGIS 10.1 help documentation lists all of the tools that can be used on a LAS dataset within ArcToolbox and on the 3D Analyst toolbar, all with only a few small steps to enable them. What small steps am I referring to?

Full Extent of the LAS Dataset with the Tools greyed out.

However, the tools are not always active when working with LAS datasets and the 3D Analyst toolbar tools. The 3D Analyst toolbar tools are only available when a LAS dataset is displayed as a full resolution triangulated surface. A full resolution surface is indicated in the table of contents when 100% of points are being used to construct the triangulated surface. When the LAS dataset is displayed as a point set the tools will be disabled.

Now you can create the profile graph or generate a 3d feature just as you would with a normally recognized surface in ArcMap.

A lot of changes were made at ArcGIS for Desktop 10.1 regarding database connections within the client software. The ‘Add Spatial Database Connection’ dialog is renamed to  ‘Add Database Connection’, and new functionality is added, allowing connections to enterprise geodatabases and other supported databases.

At the 10.1 release, we introduced support for the Oracle Easy Connect string when making these connections. This is a simpler Oracle naming method connect string that you can use within the Instance parameter of your Database Connection properties. The Easy Connect naming method eliminates the need for service name lookups in the tnsnames.ora file for TCP/IP environments.  No naming or directory systems are required if you use this method.



The Oracle Instant Client is a lightweight manual install. You can obtain the Oracle Instant, Runtime, or Administrator Client from Oracle and install the client on the client computer, following the directions in your Oracle documentation. It is comprised of the minimum required files necessary for making database connections using an Esri Client; however, it does not contain any executables or configuration/migration tools.

The setup process is quick:

1. Unzip the downloaded contents into a directory.
2. Add the location of the Oracle Instant Client directory within the system path environment variable.
   1. Example: c:appinstantclient_11_2
3. Test out a new database connection in ArcCatalog.
   1. You can also test the connection in the Catalog window in ArcMap.

TIPS:

• For making database connections within ArcGIS for Desktop, use the 32-bit Oracle Instant Client.
• For using the Easy Connect string with other Oracle clients, make sure the sqlnet.ora file has EZCONNECT specified within the NAMES.DIRECTORY_PATH parameter (the Instant Client does not include this file by default).
• Make sure the database instance is configured for EZCONNECT.

References

• What’s new for databases in ArcGIS 10.1
• 10.1 – Database Connections in ArcGIS for Desktop > Oracle
• Oracle Database Net Services Administrator's Guide: Configuring Naming Methods

Are you working to put together a migration plan for the transition to ArcSDE 10.1?  There are some new changes for connecting and disconnecting users with ArcSDE 10.1!Good to Know

One of the more significant changes with ArcSDE 10.1 is that the default means of connecting to the geodatabases is via Direct Connections. And gone is the script, i.e. sde:sqlserver:servername, replaced by simply providing the instance name where the RDBMS resides.



[Note:  ArcSDE service connections are still available through the use of geoprocessing tools or Python script to connect to an enterprise geodatabase.]

The geodatabase administrator can now disconnect users from a geodatabase from the Connections tab on the Administer Geodatabase dialog box in ArcGIS for Desktop.

1. Right-click the database connection in the Catalog tree, point to Administration, then click Administer Geodatabase.
2. Click the Connections tab.
3. Choose the user connection (or connections) you want to remove.
4. Right-click the connections and click Disconnect.

1. Right-click the database connection in the Catalog tree and click Properties.
2. Click the Connections tab.
3. Uncheck Geodatabase is accepting connections.

You can now stack up multiple geoprocessing tools to run in order.  The intermediate progress messages can still be seen when background processing is enabled, by expanding the Results Window.  This can be the best of both worlds, as you can continue to work within ArcMap, but still see information about what step the current geoprocessing tool is on.

Results Tab

Background Processing Completion

When the background processing completes, a less obtrusive message will appear in the lower right corner of the map document, indicating it has completed.  You can control the time this message is visible under the Geoprocessing Options and adjusting the slider.

Foreground Processing Message