Latest Contributions by MarcoBoeringa

regarding to the application environment , the application shall have the following : creating a version , reconcile & post versions , adding users and groups and assigning permissions , reading KPI's for the SDE , in other language is this applicable to be built in a web application ?? Looking at your list of requirements, I really have no clue as to why you, or your clients, aren't looking at all the new Geodatabase Administration geoprocessing tools and dialogs ArcGIS for Desktop has on offer, and the RDBM's management tools, for a solution to these requirements. Simply upgrading to the latest version of ArcGIS for Desktop (10.2 and now 10.2.1), may give you all you need without programming a single line of code, and without endless worries about incompatibility between a custom implemented solution targeting vital access rights management features of an ESRI Geodatabase (actually in reality for a large part RDBMs features, but thoroughly managed by ArcSDE / ArcGIS for Desktop / ArcObjects). Sometimes, the best advice to a potential client is simply "upgrade to the latest version"... even if it means losing a project... (If it is good client, they will come back to you for more sensible requests - where you are needed - after giving them good advice instead of a costly and maybe unnecessary custom solution). Anyway, it may be that part of a "custom solution" might consist of creating a few ModelBuilder models, or Python scripts, exploiting the geoprocessing tools in the Geodatabase Administration toolset to automate some of the workflows your client requires more control, or simplification, off. Another point is the possible use of Query Layers versus enabling a geodatabase, or Query Layers in combination with geodatabase usage. Maybe you can "join" sensitive column information to a Versioned View of the geodatabase data, and than set appropriate permissions to the new view and access this view as a Query Layer. Since the sensitive information won't be in the original geodatabase Feature Classes, and since the Query Layer accesses an essentially ordinary RDBMS database view, you will less likely run into issues related to the geodatabase. This will be a read-only solution though, since you can't edit the Query Layers. ... View more

How do you define "code-level access"?  I've never seen that term before. I think he may be referring to Oracle Virtual Private Database functionality, as that seems to be doing what he describes: "Oracle Virtual Private Database (VPD) enables you to create security policies to control database access at the row and column level." ... View more

Interpolating beyond the extent of the data points is actually called extrapolation. You should be very weary of doing this with any "interpolation" method, even when it is supported, as it can result in really wacky values for calculated raster points outside the extent of the data points. This is especially true for methods like Spline. In addition, looking at your dataset as presented by the screenshot you included, which seems to be based on a mere 7 points, the results of any interpolation will be highly speculative. I really think your dataset is far to small for any reliable interpolation, and therefor question whether you should continue with this. ... View more

Cut & Paste of all tools in the entire model has resolved the display issue. Still a weird problem, I haven't seen this happening before. ... View more

I think he means with "original contour layer", the data (format) as used in, or exported from, what probably is some sort of specialized software for processing LIDAR data... but CCStormwater will probably answer this. At least good to hear you more or less solved your issue. ... View more

I am using 'ArcGIS Desktop Advanced Edition' which enables me to 'Create Enterprise Geodatabase'. ... We do have ArcGIS Server 10.1 Enterprise Edition (Concurrent use) license. Good, this means you are basically "set" for creating or enabling an enterprise geodatabase. NOTE: If you haven't already done so, you may need to authorize ArcGIS for Server first to create the required keycodes / authorization file that is input for the Create and Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tools. See the Help pages for the Create and Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tools. So, the procedure is to run 'Create Enterprise Geodatabase' in the GIS Server machine and enter the SQL Server Instance name of the Database Server SQL Server 2008 R2. Yes, basically, that is the procedure, but also note that if you already have an existing database with users etc., and you wish to use this existing database by converting it to a geodatabase, than you will need the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tool rather than the Create Enterprise Geodatabase tool. Of course, if you want to start from scratch with a new database, than Create Enterprise Geodatabase is the right tool. ... View more

I am using SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition on the Database Server. I am not using SQL Server Express. ... Please advice where to install 'ArcSDE for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express (Personal)' (only ArcSDE software that I have through ArcGIS Desktop installation).Do I need to get another ArcSDE software? These two things are in conflict, you can not use the integral license of ArcGIS for Desktop Standard or Advanced, to enable a geodatabase in an enterprise class SQL Server instance. That limited ArcSDE Personal Server license only works for the also limited SQL Server Express. Do I need to get another ArcSDE software? You don't need extra software, you need a valid - and paid - license from ESRI for ArcGIS for Server, at the Workgroup or Enterprise level. You will need to buy / acquire this license through ESRI. You than use that license in combination with the Create Enterprise Geodatabase, or Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tools to enable geodatabase storage on your enterprise level SQL Server instance. Note that this doesn't necessitate installing ArcGIS for Server to launch webservices, you just need the license to enable your instance to store geodatabases (Although logically, once you have this license, you will probably want to run a webserver with GIS webservices too, and hence install ArcGIS for Server). Thank you for the information concerning 10.2. I am still using at 10.1 products everywhere in my three-tier architecture. The Create and Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tools were introduced at 10.1, so you will be able to use those, e.g. see this Help page: Create Enterprise Geodatabase (Data Management) ... View more

You still haven't answered my question conclusively: Are you using an enterprise grade SQL Server, or SQL Server Express?? The quote below now suggests you use SQL Server Express, is that right? Please answer this question, it is a vital distinction!: I am still confused regarding the SQL Server instance (ArcSDE for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express (Personal) installation). As to the quote below: My question is the following : Where am I supposed to install ArcSDE ? You no longer need to install anything with 10.2. Direct Connect replaces the need for installing and running an ArcSDE Application Server, as in the 8.x,9.x era of ArcGIS. You just need to enable and license the geodatabase in an instance. Enabling means the ArcSDE Repository and its included ArcSDE and Geodatabase System Tables, including stored procedures etc., are added to a database in your instance. Once these are added and licensed, you can start using your ESRI Geodatabase. ArcSDE functionality is an integral part of ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS for Server. To better understand this, and since you seem to be confused about this all, I highly recommend you to read the PDFs about ESRI's Geodatabase Framework I created and posted here and here. Even when I am trying to 'Create Enterprise Geodatabase', it is asking for the SQL Server instance. As you now seem to be using SQL Server Express, you need to follow the instructions for enabling geodatabase functionality in your SQL Server Express instance I provided in this thread, under the heading for Personal ArcSDE / Desktop Geodatabase a.k.a. ArcSDE Personal Server. The Create and Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tools can not be used against a SQL Server Express edition instance. They are for licensed enterprise geodatabases only, requiring a SQL Server enterprise edition as well. Please note that an ArcSDE Personal Server will not allow more than 3 concurrent users. Otherwise, you need Workgroup or Enterprise licenses for ArcGIS for Server, to be able to use up to 10 (Workgroup license), or an essentially unlimited number of concurrent users (Enterprise license). ... View more

The database that I want to connect to is an SQL Server 2008 R2 created and stored in the database server. So, in my GIS Server, after verifying and performing all the necessary prerequisites actions : ... I have gone through the ArcSDE installation and I checked only the option to "enable geodatabase storage on SQL Server Express" I don't understand what you are trying to accomplish, either you run an enterprise grade SQL Server 2008 R2, or you run a limited SQL Server Express that only allows 10GB storage max. You can't use the tools for enabling a geodatabase on SQL Server Express, to enable a geodatabase on SQL Server 2008 R2. * If trying to create / enable a geodatabase on SQL Server 2008 R2 enterprise edition: - Run the Create Enterprise Geodatabase or Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tools from ArcToolbox (whichever is relevant for your situation, since it seems you already created a 2008 R2 instance and database, it probably is Enable Enterprise Geodatabase). Note: the procedure above requires an ArcGIS for Server license from ESRI. You can not complete this procedure without that. * If trying to enable "Personal ArcSDE" a.k.a. "Desktop Geodatabase" a.k.a. "ArcSDE Personal Server" a.k.a "ArcSDE for SQL Server Express" on SQL Server Express edition: - Look at the detailed instructions I provided here Note: License for the limited(!) ArcSDE Personal Server is part of / included with the ArcGIS for Desktop "Standard" or "Advanced" license, so you don't need anything extra if you have either of these installed. ... View more

You most likely use a coded value domain with as its basis a short or long integer field in your geodatabase Feature Class. This means the database internally stores numeric values, instead of the text descriptions you pick while editing the attribute table. If you want to add the shapefiles results back into the domain based Feature Class field, you will need to translate all of the descriptive text back into a new numeric integer field in your shapefile, before importing / appending to the existing geodatbase Feature Class. E.g., if you have a field named "Landuse" with class "Forest", and this class originally used integer value "2" in the database, you need to create a new field with a "2" in your shapefile whereever the class "Forest" is used in the field "Landuse". Than map this field to the original field in the Feature Class upon importing / appending, and ArcGIS should recognize it as "Forest" and store it as such in the field with the coded value domain. Also see this Help page: A quick tour of attribute domains EDIT: Just realized I read to quickly, you do seem to be manipulating numeric values outside of ArcGIS, so they should be able to import. What software are you using to edit the exported data? Can it be that it changes the field type? You might check this by looking at the properties in ArcCatalog. ... View more

Two remarks to these topics: I've made a county-wide LIDAR based 1ft contour feature class in a local fGDB.  There are ~2.6 million features for about 550 contour intervals (possibly order of billions of vertices, at least hundreds of millions). First of, contours generated from extremely high detailed raster or LIDAR data, almost always need generalization to be of any real use. There is really little use for maintaining all detail, since in general, the GIS analyses options for something like contour lines are very limited (e.g. compare with rasters), and mostly contours are simply used for display only. See the An overview of the Generalization toolset Help topic, and especially the Simplify Line option, for more information about generalization. There are ~2.6 million features for about 550 contour intervals (possibly order of billions of vertices, at least hundreds of millions). ... It takes about 6 minutes to draw at full extent which is pretty much unusable. What would you expect attempting to display 2.6 million features, with hundreds of millions of vertices?... Even "Google Earth" type mega spatial databases, are only feasible by very smart indexing schemes, only sending out the minimum required data to the viewer to fill up his display at a particular scale and well chosen level of detail. I have therefore no clue as to what you attempt to do drawing all features "at full extent". In terms of display, there is absolutely no use for a completely cluttered up screen, swamped by 2.6M features. Realistically, any display of GIS data should probably be limited to <100.000 features / screen to be of any real use in distinguishing individual features (a 1920x1080 full HD display has +/- 2M pixels at most anyway). The main solution to your problem is therefore simple: set minimum and maximum display scales to realistic values, preventing ever to display all features at full extent... ... View more

As an addition to what Asrujit wrote, if attempting to install a Personal ArcSDE a.k.a. Desktop Geodatatabase a.k.a. ArcSDE Personal Server, than you may wish to have a look at the detailed "installation" instructions I posted here: http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/2712-Personal-SDE?p=341454&viewfull=1#post341454 Although this might well be some firewall issue as Asrujit also suggested... ... View more

You can create a feature service from data other than SDE at v10.2?  Can you show me a link to this documentation so I can read up on this topic. See the links I posted before in this thread: Tutorial: Performing web editing using data from a database This option uses the new Query Layer functionality as introduced in 10.x. ... View more

That depends, really. If you want people to be able to edit the data through a service, you'll need a feature service. If you are using ArcGIS Server 10.1 or earlier, feature services require that the data be stored in an enterprise geodatabase.  Please elaborate on your specific set up and what you want to accomplish. What Kimberley is trying to say is that ArcGIS for Server 10.2 has a new option: you can now also publish (editable) Feature Services from normal "non-geodatabase" spatially enabled enterprise database, that is, from any database with geographic data in it, possibly not maintained through ESRI software, but through third party software like AutoCAD. As long as the data is in a format ArcGIS can read (e.g. SDO_Geometry), you will be able to use it in a Feature Service as well (some caveats though regarding "being able to read"..., see the Help for that). So you have two options at 10.2: - 1) Create a geodatabase by enabling geodatabase storage on your enterprise database (Oracle, SQL Server etc.), and use ArcGIS for Server 10.2 to serve a Feature Service with most functionality specific to geodatabases (multi user versioned editing supported through replicas etc.). See also this Help topic: Tutorial: Performing web editing using data from an enterprise geodatabase - 2) Create a "normal" spatial database on your enterprise database (Oracle, SQL Server etc.), and use ArcGIS for Server 10.2 to create a "light weight" variety of a Feature Service, that does allow editing with record locking, but no versioned editing with multiple users potentially editing the same features at the same time. Please note that editing requires an ArcGIS for Server "Standard" license minimum. See also this Help topic: Tutorial: Performing web editing using data from a database After reading those information you shared with me, I think I got the answer to my question but not quite sure if it is correct. My understanding is that: a geodatabase is not necessary for publishing services through ArcGIS Desktop. But if we have multiusers and want to make full use of the capabilities of ArcGIS Server, it is better to use a multiuser geodatabase to manage datasets through versioning and replication. Is that correct? So, probably yes, based on what I wrote above, but mind also that ArcGIS for Desktop is not yet capable of directly editing "normal", non-geodatabase spatial databases. With "directly", I mean through a normal Database Connection in ArcGIS for Desktop. So if you choose option 2), you can only edit the data through a Feature Service, or you need to use third party software to do the edits. ArcGIS for Desktop can import entire layers / Feature Classes though, so you can load data in non-geodabase enabled enterprise database. ArcGIS for Desktop can also edit a web Feature Service, so through that route, you can still indirectly edit the "normal" spatial database. See this Help topic: About editing data from feature services ... View more