split a polygon with another polygon

[LisMortensen]

I want to use one polygon to cut out of another polygon. Like if I had a cookie cutter I want to keep the space outside the cutter. How do I do that without using the erase tool? Is there another way?

[ShaneMiles]

Hi Lis Mortensen‌, 

Is there a reason you do not want to utilise the Erase—Help | Documentation tool? You can use the Union—Help | Documentation tool and give your "cookie cutter" a higher rank then in the output just delete the area out of the attribute table. This should give you the result you are after. I hope this has helped answer your question. 

Shane

[LisMortensen]

As Dan Patterson explains, I do not right now have an advanced license. I am following a course in ArcGIS and one of the lessons uses the Erase tool, which unfortunately is locked in my version. 

[DanPatterson_Retired]

So it isn't a Student version that you have? Educational institutions usually use the Advanced version of ArcMap or ArcGIS Pro.

You could try 

ArcGIS for Student Use | ArcGIS Desktop Advanced for Personal Use 

sadly covid-19 is limiting the free trial

https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/trial?rmedium=esri_com_redirects01&rsource=https://links.esri.com/...

[LisMortensen]

Thank you for your answers. It is version 10.6.1. I work at the Geological Survey of the Faroe Islands that has the advanced license. However there seems to be a problem with the licens-key or some installation on my computer. I have checked that I have the right Authorization key for the advanced version. I do. But the program still says that I have the standard version of ArcMap, where many of the tools are locked. Unfortunately. I am working my way through an ArcMap course that uses "Erase" and "Identity" from the System-Toolbox. Hopefully I find out what the issue is with the wrong license key. Thank you again for suggesting solutions 🙂

[DanPatterson_Retired]

Can't help much with ArcMap, but if I remember there was a license manager that you used to set your license level.  Maybe if you can find it in the Windows start, ArcMap (or whatever) link.

[DanPatterson_Retired]

Erase—Help | Documentation  requires an advanced license, which I suspect is the reason that Lis Mortensen‌ doesn't... or can't use the tool.

Other tools in the Overlay toolset have restrictions, for some unfathomable reason, given these operations are basic to GIS