Buffers Around Only Selected Features?

[FredKoehl]

I am working with a file with approximately 6,000 records, including a field for property type.  I want to first select individual property types, then create a buffer around only those points, and finally analyze the proximity of the selected points.  I can???t seem to see how to buffer only selected points.  Do I have to create a subset file for each property type and then run the buffer routines?  Or is there a shortcut through which I can retain the full file?  Thanks.

[DarrenWiens2]

Buffer should work only on selected points, if there is a selection (I'm using ArcGIS 10 - not sure if this is true in 9.3 and less). I don't see any way to avoid creating an intermediate layer, though (I just read this post, which describes the in-memory workspace, which may be ideal for your intermediates). Also, I'd suggest creating a model (or script) to run your workflow since you'll be going through several steps. You can always build the deletion of your intermediate files into the model if you want to avoid accumulating files.