Split shapefile into smaller shapefiles using Python

[DavidBarry1]

Is there a way I can take a large shapefile and split it into several smaller shapefiles using Python? My point shapefile has about 62,000 records and I'm trying to spatially join it to a line feature class, but it's taking forever. I'm thinking if I was able to split it up that I could spatially join each "mini" shapefile and get through the process faster. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[XanderBakker]

Sure you can, no problem, but maybe you want to test with a different format first. Have you tried loading your data into a File Geodatabase? This format may result in faster joins.

To split into shapefile into different featureclasses, how do you want to split them up, based on a spatial characteristics of simply taking a # number of records and writing them to a new featureclass?

[DavidBarry1]

For some reason, ArcMap is crashing when I try to export from the shapefile into a file geodatabase feature class. So I guess I'm going to have to stick with working from the shapefile. Also, I'd like to just split it up based on a number of records (no particular outcome other than breaking the shapefile up into smaller shapefiles (or feature classes)).

[DanPatterson_Retired]

you can split by attributes here http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=15ca63aebb4647a4b07bc94f3d051da5

[DavidBarry1]

Thanks Dan, I'll have a look at it!

[TroyFoster]

dead link, and judging by his username he retired 😞