File geodatabase table too large to import to SQL Server?

[VHouck]

We need to query data from the national soils database. The data is in a file geodatabase (which is about 20 GB), but we need to query the data in a SQL Server environment.  In ArcCatalog, I am able to import the tables I need into SQL Server Enterprise 2014 (not SQLServerExpress which has a 10GB limit!), except for one of them.  This one table is about 12GB in size.  When I try to import the table, ArcGIS Desktop (Advanced, ArcInfo license) crashes/closes. When I open ArcCatalog again  I can see that the table/structure  is there but it is empty.   How can I get this table out of the file geodatabase?

[LanceShipman]

Did you receive any error messages?  How much space is available?

[VinceAngelo]

There are no size limits to RDBMS tables (at least, not when the units are still in gigabytes, and the row count is under two billion), but there could be other issues that are preventing effective use.

Please add details on the version and service pack of ArcGIS in use (both Desktop and the enterprise geodatabase), as well as the exact error messages.  Does a fraction of the table load successfully?

Note: This question was cross-posted to gis.stackexchange​

[VHouck]

I am not using and don't have access to ArcSDE. Using ArcCatalog version 10.2.1, (product version 10.2.1.3497, no service packs) and SQL Server 2014. I disabled "enable background processing" and get no error messages; ArcCatalog just crashes and closes. When I open ArcCatalog again I can see that the table/structure is there in the SQL db but it is empty. I just need to get this table out of the file geodatabase.

[VinceAngelo]

While SQL-Server 2014 is supported for enterprise geodatabases and query layers, the footnote explains:

• The Microsoft ODBC Driver 11 for SQL Server is not supported by ArcGIS 10.2.1 or 10.2.2 clients. The SQL Server 2012 native client must be used instead.

You should not be able to upload a file geodatabase without the database being enterprise geodatabase enabled.

- V

[JoshuaBixby]

What if you try working with a subset of the records in the table, say 10%, does ArcCatalog still crash?

[VHouck]

I finally figured out that the only way to get the data out of the file geodatabase was to open ArcMap (not ArcCatalog) and bring the table into the TOC and then Export the table to a text file. Then I could import the text file into the SQL Server DB.

[JoshuaBixby]

Interesting.  It definitely seems like something odd is going on, possibly a bug, but at least you found a workaround.  Sometimes chasing the gremlins just isn't worth it if you have something that works.