Edit a Joined Table ArcGIS Pro

[WilliamStanton1]

Hello everyone!

I want to edit a table that I have joined to my polygon layer. I cannot edit anything that is part of the joined table. In an attempt to remedy the situation I have tried to export my layer with the joined table to a new feature class but when I do the table only includes un-joined table data from the original polygon. 

I also attempted to export the table to arcgis and join the table through that but I run into the same issue.

Any help would be appreciated. 

[DanaNolan · Accepted solution]

Not sure why you don't get everything in the export. Exporting is the prime way to make a join permanent (not a great practice IMHO). Are you using feature to shapefile or geodatabase table tools or the Geoprocessing tools? If you export from the attribute table menu instead, you only get attributes, not shapes.

As to the main question, you can only edit Table 1 (the first or "left" table in the join) in any join. So you have to join from the table you want to edit to the polygon feature, assuming you want to see its contents when you edit the table. 

Also, in order to edit a table, it must have an OID, i.e.,  it needs to be converted to an ArcGIS  table using tools such as Import or Excel to Table. 

[WilliamStanton1]

I solved my issue, thank you!

On a side note: What would you recommend instead a of a permanent join through exporting?

[DanaNolan]

For data that will be edited on a regular basis and in which we need to see the joined table, I would add a Relationship that fits the situation, possibly also adding an attribute index on the joining field for speed. For other situations, doing the join, adjusting the fields shown (such as reordering and highlighting fields), and saving the join as part of a .lyr file helps people who are less familiar with the data understand what's going on.

In either case, document the relationships through metadata and documentation. The problems with exporting two files into one include: you have to remember to re-generate them after any change, and the two tables may have different owners, which can complicate editing and updating workflows.