HI
this could help;
ESRI Geodatabases
This topic continues the general introduction to geospatial data
storage covered by the Data Storage Strategies and the Spatial DBMS
topics. This topic should be read together with those two topics,
which introduce terminology and concepts used in this topic as well.
This topic breaks out information specific to ESRI use of databases
for new types of ESRI geospatial storage for the convenience of ESRI
users.
ESRI, a legacy GIS vendor, has introduced a variety of products that
can work with geometry and attribute data stored in DBMS servers.
These are not spatial DBMS servers as such are generally understood,
but rather are software products and middleware software that manage
data stored in real DBMS servers using either blob or geometry types
if the DBMS is a spatial DBMS. It is a classic case of a GIS vendor
providing their own spatial capabilities for a DBMS by using their own
non-native geometry types together with supporting capabilities
supplied by the GIS vendor.
Manifold can also work with non-native data stored in databases using
ESRI conventions. In such cases Manifold will work with ESRI's
geometry types and supporting metadata tables using ESRI conventions
for compatibility with ESRI products.
Nomenclature
Many users are baffled by ESRI nomenclature when it comes to parsing
the bewildering variety of marketing phrases ESRI has used to describe
ESRI "geodatabase" formats. If you feel baffled, you are not alone. In
a nutshell, ESRI at one point introduced the idea of storing geometry
in DBMS using a format that more or less boiled down to storing
shapefiles within blobs. This was done in a complex way using
middleware called ArcSDE that worked with serious databases like
Oracle, and it was also done in a somewhat simplified way in Personal
Geodatabase products that used Access .MDB files and were later
apparently updated to work with MSDE (a free version of Microsoft SQL
Server) or with SQL Server Express. In recent years, the ArcSDE
product name seems to have been dropped by ESRI: more recent versions
of this technology have been packaged as part of the ArcGIS product
family and have been referred to as geodatabases.
All such storage methods are technically similar and are generally
referred to as SDE geodatabase formats or as Personal geodatabase
formats when in the somewhat simplified form that uses Access .MDB for
file-based storage. Since all such formats are similar or derived from
ArcSDE, they are referred to by Manifold documentation as ESRI SDE or
as ESRI Geodatabase or as Personal Geodatabase data sources, the
various terms being used interchangeably, regardless of which file
format or DBMS system is used to store the data.
The terms are used interchangeably because some ESRI users come from a
long ArcSDE tradition and don't realize that "geodatabase" is the new
term for the same old thing, while some newer ESRI users might not
realize that their "geodatabase" is really SDE technology with a new
name. Because of the confusion caused by ESRI names for their SDE and
their Personal technology being so similar, Manifold documentation
will often refer to SDE and Personal geodatabases to underline that a
particular capability is available whether one is working with either
SDE geodatabases or the somewhat simpler Personal geodatabases.
Manifold can also connect to ESRI SDE and Personal geodatabase data
sources for full read / write / edit capability. The only limitation
is that unlike all other work with all other spatial DBMS, Manifold
will not create new SDE or new Personal geodatabases, nor will
Manifold add new drawings to an existing geodatabase. If we already
have drawings in an SDE or Personal geodatabase, Manifold will happily
import or link to those drawings. We can edit those drawings, adding
new objects and deleting or editing old objects and in general perform
whatever operation we like. For example, we could link to an existing
drawing in a geodatabase and then copy and paste objects from some
other drawing into that drawing. However, we cannot create new
drawings or new geodatabases.
ESRI ArcSDE / ArcGIS / Personal Geodatabases
ESRI's ArcSDE product stores drawing geometry and other GIS data
within ordinary, non-spatial DBMS servers. ESRI products refer to such
data as geodatabases or SDE data sources (see notes on nomenclature
above).
Technically, one can organize an SDE data source on almost any
database. However, since this can not be done in a database-neutral
fashion and since setting up an SDE data source involves creating
database-specific objects, SDE data sources are only organized on
big-name databases explicitly supported by ESRI, such as IBM DB2, IBM
Informix, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 or 2005 and Oracle. SDE data
sources using Access .mdb appear to have been replaced with SQL Server
Express 2005. Personal geodatabases seem to be found almost
exclusively within .mdb files.
Manifold knows to look for SDE or Personal geodatabase data if we use
Database Console to connect to a database. Manifold usage of SDE or
Personal geodatabase data sources uses Database Console as the primary
interface and includes:
· Connecting to an SDE data source.
· Listing the drawings in an SDE data source in Database Console.
· Importing drawings.
· Linking drawings in read-write mode.
When importing or linking drawings from SDE or Personal geodatabase
data sources Manifold will fetch the coordinate systems (projections)
in use from ESRI metadata. Importing or linking a drawing assigns it
the coordinate system stored on the data source.
Manifold will convert ESRI style objects within the SDE database into
Manifold equivalents. For example, reading data from an SDE
geodatabase reads parametric curves, flattening them into lines with
straight line segments. As of the current writing Manifold does not
accept "multipoint" values, although this capability is expected to be
added in future editions.
Although Manifold can connect to an existing SDE database, read
(import) drawings, write drawings, link drawings and edit drawings,
Manifold will not export new drawings to an SDE database nor will
Manifold create a new SDE database.
http://www.manifold.net/doc/manifold.htm
Bruce
On Fri, May 29, 2009 at 6:38 AM, Simon Greener
Post by Simon GreenerFrank and Piotr,
Yes, Manifold has reverse-engineered Personal and Enterprise GeoDatabases. DOn't know how well.
Type "GeoDatabase" into Search in the Manifold Help.
But, the way it is done is that one uses Tools>Database Console tto go to the database (eg Access .mdb) file that holds the
geodata. When Manifold opens it it will recognise the ESRI crap and allow you to import/link to it.
regards
Simon
Post by Piotr SynowiecPost by Frank WarmerdamAre you suggesting that Manifold GIS has reverse engineered the file
geodatabase format? Can you provide any pointers supporting that?
If those guys can reverse engineer it, then so could we given enough
desire.
I'm using Manifold on daily basis. Not to import ESRI files.
Just looked through all possible imports and couldn't find ESRI GDB file
--
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