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Writer Directives – Feature Classes for all Geodatabase Types

This section describes the directives the Geodatabase writer module recognizes when writing to a Feature Class.

Each directive is prefixed by the current <WriterKeyword>_ when it is placed in a mapping file. By default, the <WriterKeyword> for the Geodatabase writer is the same as the <WriterType>.

These directives are only relevant when writing to feature classes, and are not used for raster datasets.

Tip: Due to the complexity and capabilities of a Geodatabase, writing features to one can be difficult, particularly when trying to create feature classes. The Personal Geodatabase writer has a mode whereby it will calculate the extents, scales, and grid sizes on your behalf.

Tip: To take advantage of this ability, set the XY_SCALE directive to zero. If a non-zero value for the directive GRID_1 is specified, then the specified value will be used instead of using the grid 1 size calculated by the Personal Geodatabase writer. If no z values are found while calculating the extents, the minimum Z value will be default_Z - 20,000 and the Z scale will be 10,000 . The value for default_Z will be taken from the directive DEFAULT_Z_VALUE. Please note that feature classes that exist before the translation will not have their extents and grid 1 size changed.

Tip: Even when the writer calculates the x,y,z origins, scales and grid 1 size, the DEF lines can override the calculated values by setting the configuration parameter GEODB_XYSCALE to a non-zero value. See GEODB_XY_SCALE for more information. (This functionality is not available when using the Enterprise Geodatabase or File-based Geodatabase writer.)

Note: It is important to understand that the initial values assigned to the writer directives, where possible, come from values in the settings box. The DEF line configuration parameters that correspond to the directives will not be assigned values. This prevents the problem whereby the values for the directives are changed, but never get used because they are overridden by the corresponding DEF line configuration parameters. The DEF line configuration parameters should only be used when the feature classes have differing dimensions (2d or 3d), origins, scales, grid sizes, and measure support.

The directives listed below are used by all Geodatabases.

WRITER_MODE

Required/Optional: Optional

Note: For more information on this directive, see Writer Mode.

This statement instructs the Geodatabase writer on the type of mode in which it is to operate. When the WRITER_MODE directive is set to UPDATE or DELETE, the writer will check to see if the attribute fme_db_operation exists on the feature. A value of INSERT for this attribute means the feature will be inserted with no extra update processing; a value of UPDATE means the feature will be updated; and a value of DELETE means the feature will be deleted. If the attribute is set to any other value, the translation will be aborted and an error message logged. If the attribute is not set, the mode will be that indicated by the writer directive WRITER_MODE.

To update or delete a feature, the object ID must be on the feature passed into the Geodatabase writer. The object ID must be stored in an attribute with the same name as the object id field in the destination table. For example, if the destination table has an object ID field called O_ID, then this attribute must exist and be populated with the correct value on the FME feature.

As with inserting features, updating and deleting features on versioned tables with an ArcSDE requires that the TRANSACTION_TYPE directive be set to VERSIONING.

Parameter: <writer_mode>

Values: UPDATE | DELETE | INSERT

Default Value: INSERT

INSERT – All features are inserted;
UPDATE – By default, the features will be updated;
DELETE – By default, the features will be deleted

Workbench Parameter: Writer Mode

Example:

GEODATABASE_SDE_WRITER_MODE INSERT

TRANSACTION_TYPE

Required/Optional: Optional

This statement indicates which transaction mechanism the Geodatabase writer should use. Within ArcGIS, there are currently two transaction mechanisms: edit sessions and (regular) transactions. An edit session corresponds to a long transaction. During an edit session, edits made by other users do not become visible until the edit session is ended. If a translation does not complete successfully and the Geodatabase writer is using an edit session, then all the edits will be discarded.

Values: VERSIONING | EDIT_SESSION | TRANSACTIONS | NONE

VERSIONING: Starts an edit session and then ends it when the translation is finished. This value should be used when writing to a versioned table in an Enterprise Geodatabase.
EDIT_SESSION: Starts an edit session and then ends it when the translation is finished. This value should be used when edits are made to tables that have custom behavior associated with them. This value corresponds to non-versioned edit sessions for a table in an Enterprise Geodatabase.
TRANSACTIONS: Starts the (regular) transaction mechanism. This can be used only when writing to non-versioned tables that do not have custom behavior.

Note: Transactions are not supported in File Geodatabase.
NONE: No transaction mechanism is used. This can be used only when writing to non-versioned tables that do not have custom behavior. NONE differs from TRANSACTIONS with TRANSACTION_INTERVAL set to zero in that if the write fails, all successful features are committed for NONE, but are discarded for TRANSACTIONS.

Default Value: TRANSACTIONS

Workbench Parameter: Transaction Type

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_Transaction_TYPE EDIT_SESSION

TRANSACTION

Required/Optional: Optional

Transactions do not get used unless the TRANSACTION_TYPE directive is set to TRANSACTIONS. This statement instructs the Geodatabase writer when to begin to write features to the Geodatabase. The writer does not write any features to the Geodatabase until a feature is reached that belongs to <last successful transaction> + 1. Specifying a value of 0 causes the Geodatabase writer to use transactions and to write every feature to the Geodatabase. Normally, the value specified is zero – a positive non-zero value is only specified when a data load operation is being rerun.

If the GEODATABASE_<SDE|MDB|FILE>_TRANSACTION statement is not specified and transactions are being used (TRANSACTION_TYPE is set to TRANSACTIONS) then a default value of 0 is used.

Parameter: <transaction #> This is the transaction number of the last successful transaction. When loading data for the first time, set this value to 0.

Workbench Parameter: Transaction Number

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_Transaction 0

TRANSACTION_INTERVAL

This statement tells FME the number of features to be placed in each transaction before a transaction is committed to the database.

If the GEODATABASE_<SDE|MDB|FILE>_TRANSACTION_INTERVAL statement is not specified, then a default value of 1000 is used as the transaction interval.

When TRANSACTION_TYPE is set to VERSIONING or EDIT_SESSION, this value is used to determine how many features to place in each edit operation within the edit session.

Required/Optional

Optional

Values

Default Value: 1000

GEODATABASE_MDB_TRANSACTION_INTERVAL 50

Mapping File Syntax

Parameter: <transaction_interval> The number of features in each transaction.

Workbench Parameter

Features to Write Per Transaction

Note: The current transaction is committed and a new transaction is started whenever a new table is created or opened, even if the transaction interval was not reached.

TEMPLATEFILE

If specified, this tells FME to import the complete schema from the template file into the database. The import occurs after opening the Geodatabase for writing, but before any tables are created or features are written. Any error that occurs during import will cause the translation to fail.

Note: Although the template file may contain both schema and data, FME will only import the schema.

Required/Optional

Optional

Values

The pathname of the Esri XML workspace document to import.

Mapping File Syntax

GEODATABASE_MDB_TEMPLATEFILE C:/tmp/XMLEXPORT.XML

Workbench Parameter

Template File

HAS_Z_VALUES

Required/Optional: Optional

This directive determines whether or not the dataset contains z coordinates. The value of this directive may be overridden by the DEF line parameter of GEODB_HAS_Z_VALUES if a value is specified for it. Valid values for this directive are YES, NO, or AUTO_DETECT. When set to AUTO_DETECT, the writer determines the dimension of the feature class by checking the dimension of the first feature headed for that feature class.

Parameter: <has_z_values>

Values: YES | NO| AUTO_DETECT

Default Value: AUTO_DETECT

Workbench Parameter: Contains Z Values

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_HAS_Z_VALUES yes

DEFAULT_Z_VALUE

Required/Optional: Optional

This directive determines the z value to use when writing a 2X_ORIGIN

Required/Optional: Optional

The X-coordinate of the origin for all feature classes (individual origins can be set – see Geodatabase Table Representation) and all feature datasets. This is used as an offset because coordinate data is stored as positive integers, relative to the origin, ranging from 0 to 2147483647 (so if the X origin is set below 0, then the maximum value will also drop, and vice versa).

This directive is used only when creating new feature classes.

This directive corresponds to the Min X property of the Feature Class's domain in ArcGIS.

Note: This directive is not used by the File-based Geodatabase writer, as default values are used for the domain and resolution. The default values used are dependent on the coordinate system of the feature class/feature dataset being created.

Parameter: <x_origin>

Value: real number

Default Value: 0

Workbench Parameter: X Origin

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_X_ORIGIN -120.29

Y_ORIGIN

Required/Optional: Optional

The Y-coordinate of the origin for all feature classes (individual origins can be set – see Geodatabase Table Representation) and all feature datasets. This is used as an offset because coordinate data is stored as positive integers, relative to the origin, ranging from 0 to 2147483647 (so if the Y origin is set below 0, then the maximum value will also drop, and vice versa).

This directive is used only when creating new feature classes.

This directive corresponds to the Min Y property of the Feature Class's domain in ArcGIS.

Parameter: <y_origin>

Value: real number

Default Value: 0

Workbench Parameter: Y Origin

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_Y_ORIGIN -32.55

D feature to a 3D feature class.

If the GEODATABASE_<SDE|MDB|FILE>_DEFAULT_Z_VALUE statement is not specified, then a default value of 0 is used.

Parameter: <default_z_value> The value to use for the Z coordinate(s) when writing a 2D feature to a 3D feature class.

Values: real numbers

Default Value: 0

Workbench Parameter: Default Z Value

Example:

GEODATABASE_SDE_DEFAULT_Z_VALUE -11.5

Z_ORIGIN

Required/Optional: Optional

The Z-coordinate of the origin for all feature classes (individual origins can be set – see Geodatabase Table Representation) and all feature datasets. This is used as an offset because coordinate data is stored as positive integers, relative to the origin, ranging from 0 to 2147483647 (so if the Z origin is set below 0, then the maximum value will also drop, and vice versa).

This directive is used only when creating new feature classes.

This directive corresponds to the Min Z property of the Feature Class's domain in ArcGIS.

Parameter: <z_origin>

Value: real number

Default Value: 0

Workbench Parameter: Z Origin

Example:

GEODATABASE_SDE_Z_ORIGIN 120

XY_SCALE

Required/Optional: Optional

A scaling conversion factor from world units to integer system units for all feature classes (individual scales can be set – see Geodatabase Table Representation) and all feature datasets. This is used to specify the level of precision to keep when storing XY coordinates, since all coordinates are stored as integers. Depending on the scale, it changes the precision of the coordinates stored. For example, if you have the coordinate (5.354, 566.35) and you set the XY_SCALE to be 100, then the coordinate stored will be (5.35, 566.35).

When writing to a Personal Geodatabase, if this value is set to 0 then the x,y,z origins and scales will automatically be calculated. These calculated values will be used instead of the values supplied by the writer directives for the x,y,z origins and scales. The grid 1 size will also be calculated, but will only be used if the value for the GRID_1 directive is 0. Even when the writer calculates the x,y,z origins, scales and grid 1 size, the DEF lines can override the calculated values by setting the configuration parameter GEODB_XYSCALE to a non-zero value. See GEODB_XY_SCALE for more information.

This directive is used only when creating new feature classes.

This directive corresponds to the inverse of the Feature Class’s XY resolution in ArcGIS.

Note: This directive is not used by the File-based Geodatabase writer, as default values are used for the domain and resolution. The default values used are dependent on the coordinate system of the feature class/feature dataset being created.

Parameter: <xy_scale>

Value: real number greater than 0.

When writing to a Personal Geodatabase, zero can be specified, in which case the writer will calculate the extents and scales itself. Only used when creating new feature classes.

Default Value: 100 when writing to an Enterprise Geodatabase; 0 when writing to a Personal Geodatabase

Workbench Parameter: Scale

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_XY_SCALE 1000

Z_SCALE

Required/Optional: Optional

A scaling conversion factor from world units to integer system units for all feature classes (individual scales can be set – see Geodatabase Table Representation) and all feature datasets. This is used to specify the level of precision to keep when storing Z coordinates, since all coordinates are stored as integers. Depending on the scale, it changes the precision of the coordinates stored. For example, if you have the z coordinate 5.354 and you set the Z_SCALE to be 100, then the coordinate stored will be 5.35.

This directive is used only when creating new feature classes.

This directive corresponds to the inverse of the Feature Class’s Z resolution in ArcGIS.

Parameter: <z_scale>

Value: real number greater than 0.

Default Value: Enterprise Geodatabase writer: 100; Personal Geodatabase writer: 0

The default value for a Personal Geodatabase is 0 because by default the writer calculates the extents and scales, and therefore ignores the value assigned to this directive.

Workbench Parameter: Z Scale

Example:

GEODATABASE_SDE_Z_SCALE 10

HAS_MEASURES

Required/Optional: Optional

This directive determines whether or not the dataset contains measures. The value of this directive will be overridden by the DEF line parameter GEODB_HAS_MEASURES if a value is specified for it.

If the GEODATABASE_<SDE|MDB|FILE>_HAS_MEASURES statement is not specified, then a default value of NO is used.

This directive is used only when creating new feature classes.

Parameter: <has_measures>

Values: YES | NO

Default Value: NO

Workbench Parameter: Contains Measures

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_HAS_MEASURES yes

MEASURES_ORIGIN

Required/Optional: Optional

The minimum measures value possible. This is used as an offset because measure data is stored as positive integers (0 to 2147483647) relative to the measures origin. This value is applied to all feature classes and feature datasets, although individual feature classes can override this value using the DEF line parameter GEODB_MEASURES_ORIGIN.

This directive is used only when creating new feature classes.

Parameter: <measures_origin>

Values: real number

Default Value: 0

Workbench Parameter: Measures Origin

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_MEASURES_ORIGIN -412.98

MEASURES_SCALE

Required/Optional: Optional

A scaling conversion factor from world units to integer system units for all feature classes. Individual feature classes can override this value using the DEF line parameter GEODB_MEASURES_SCALE. This is used to specify the level of precision to keep when storing measures, since all measures are stored as integers. Depending on the scale, it changes the precision of the measures stored. For example, if you have the measure 566.354 and you set the MEASURES_SCALE to be 100, then the measures stored will be 566.35. The value is only used when creating a new feature class.

Parameter: <measures_scale>

Values: real number greater than 0

Default Value: 100

Workbench Parameter: Measures Scale

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_MEASURES_SCALE 10000

GRID_1

Required/Optional: Optional

This sets the global grid 1 size for the whole translation. It may be overridden if the DEF line has the setting for GRID{1} parameter. Valid values are real numbers greater than zero.

When using the Enterprise or File-based Geodatabase writer, if the value is 0 and no value is specified for the GRID{1} DEF line parameter (or it is 0) then the grid size will be automatically calculated. The File-based Geodatabase writer will also automatically calculate sizes for grids 2 & 3. This directive is only used when creating new feature classes.

Parameter: <grid_1_size>

Values: real number greater than 0

Default Value: Personal or File-based Geodatabase writer: 0; Enterprise Geodatabase writer: 1000

Workbench Parameter : Grid 1 Size

Example:

GEODATABASE_MDB_GRID_1 45.6

ANNOTATION_UNITS

This directive allows you to specify which map units should be used when creating a new annotation feature class. Its value will be applied to all annotation feature classes created by the writer identified by <WriterKeyword>.

A Multi-Writer should be used when annotation feature classes with different map units need to be created. This directive is not used when opening an existing annotation feature class. If the writer creates an annotation feature class, and the directive ANNOTATION_UNITS is set to unknown_units (the default value), then the writer tries to determine what type of unit the spatial reference uses and sets ANNOTATION_UNITS to the closest unit that is greater than or equal to it (with respect to its meters per unit value). If a local/unknown coordinate system is used, the units are set to meters.

Required/Optional

Optional

Mapping File Syntax

GEODATABASE_MDB_ANNOTATION_UNITS nautical_miles

Parameter

<annotation_units>

Values

unknown_units (default), decimal_degrees, inches, points, feet, yards, miles, nautical_miles, millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, and decimeters

Workbench Parameter

Annotation Units

SIMPLIFY_GEOM

ArcGIS geometry has to satisfy certain constraints to be considered valid. For example, polygons must have more than 2 vertices. This directive allows you to specify whether geometry that breaks those constraints will be simplified to ensure only valid geometry is written.

For details on the conditions for invalid geometry and how it is simplified, please refer to the ArcGIS documentation.

Required/Optional

Optional

Values

YES | NO (default)

Workbench Parameter

Simplify Geometry