Is it possible to get the XML import of a Workspace to not create a XXX_Length field? My XML document specifies the length field as blank <LengthField />. But both ArcCatalog and the arcobjects (Java) using GdbImporter both add a length field.
If you have a point or a table you will not get the length field. Length is needed as part of the geodatabase for line or polygon featureclasses, it's a mandatory field. Kind of like it needs an objectid and shape field (can have a different names.) Polygon has an area field too. Leaving these fields out would break the featureclasses.
I know you can't update them from the ArcObjects API as you get an exception on them.