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Conceptual Diagram of Geodatabase

Below is a simplified diagram of some of the objects within Geodatabase. Labels describe the relationship between objects.

 

Label

Relationship between objects

Workspace Factory  An object that allows you to connect to a workspace. The workspace factory is format-dependent. This means that a different workspace factory is used to open an ArcSDE Workspace than to open a Microsoft Access workspace.
Workspace  A data source that contains datasets. The workspace represents the actual Geodatabase being created or opened.
Dataset  A collection of data that is grouped together. Examples include feature classes, tables, and feature datasets.
Table  A container of non-spatial data. It is never part of a feature dataset.
Feature Class  A container of spatial data. It may be part of a feature dataset, or standalone.
Feature Dataset A container of feature classes. All the feature classes within the feature dataset share the spatial reference of the feature dataset.
Domain An object that is used to constrain a field in a feature class or table to an allowable value for that field.
Subtype An object that is used to separate rows (features) in a table (feature class) into different groups so that different default values or validation rules can be used for each group.