We recently installed a new SQL Server and rebuilt our geodatabase. We repointed most of our user projects to the new database before the old one was switched off. However, we couldn't do all of them and some slipped through. The problem is that when a user opens one of these projects it takes an age for ArcMap to realise that the server is not there, and to load the project with the exclamation marks so we can repoint it. Is there any way to get this process to speed up?
You can manage your map documents (.mxd) in ArcCatalog. Navigate to the MXD in ArcCatalog then right click on it and you will be given a "Set Data Sources" option where you can update multiple connections at once. 🙂