Attributes disappear when kmz is converted to shapefile

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06-09-2022 02:27 PM
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CarbonAmerica
New Contributor III

Hi everyone,

I've noticed that when I import a kmz file and try to change it to a shapefile, all my attributes disappear. Is there a way around this in ArcGIS Pro? Or perhaps using another program to convert the kmz into a shapefile, then import it into ArcPro?

 

Please let me know if there's any way around this.

 

Thanks!

Thanks so much
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MicZatorsky_AEC
Occasional Contributor III

KML/KMZ technically doesn'have attributes - at least probably not the way you're thinking of them.

If you open the KML in Google Earth, and you see a table of data for each point when you click on it, this is coming from a HTML table in the record description.  In Google Earth, right-click on a record and you should see the code in the Description tab.

When Pro converts the data it puts that HTML code into a single field (popup info) and you should be able to see this in the output feature class if you have run KML to Layer.

If all records in the KML have the same HTML table structure try the KML import in QGIS or GlobalMapper. They will re-create the attribute table.

 

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DanPatterson
MVP Esteemed Contributor

KML To Layer (Conversion)—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation  are you using this?

And try not to get it out to a shapefile directly, a geodatabase destination may have a better chance at maintaining attributes


... sort of retired...
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MicZatorsky_AEC
Occasional Contributor III

KML/KMZ technically doesn'have attributes - at least probably not the way you're thinking of them.

If you open the KML in Google Earth, and you see a table of data for each point when you click on it, this is coming from a HTML table in the record description.  In Google Earth, right-click on a record and you should see the code in the Description tab.

When Pro converts the data it puts that HTML code into a single field (popup info) and you should be able to see this in the output feature class if you have run KML to Layer.

If all records in the KML have the same HTML table structure try the KML import in QGIS or GlobalMapper. They will re-create the attribute table.

 

CarlosCharry
Esri Contributor

Despite this being a limitation, the attributes can be preserved by using the Quick Import tool, included in the Data Interoperability extension.