Overview

The Geodatabase reader and writer support table-level metadata, and can read and write different types of features:

  • geometric features such as points, multipoints, polylines, and polygons
  • non-spatial table data
  • annotations, including leader lines and feature-linked annotations
  • dimensions
  • geometric network features, including simple junctions, complex junctions (reading only), simple edges and complex edges
  • relationships, including attributed relationships
  • raster data
  • multipatch features, including textured surfaces

The Geodatabase modules also provide the following capabilities:

Programmatic Table Creation

Tables do not have to be created before a data import operation – FME handles all table creation details.

Transaction Support

Transactions are fully supported in Enterprise Geodatabases, enabling a partially complete load of operation to be resumed later, without the loss or duplication of data.

Update/Delete Support

In addition to appending features, the Geodatabase writer provides the ability to update and delete existing features in the Geodatabase.

Attribute Query Support

SQL WHERE clauses can be specified to limit the data being exported.

Spatial Query Support

FME exploits the spatial query capabilities of Geodatabase using both search envelopes and search features with a multitude of filtering options. This allows greater control to translate only the relevant spatial data.

Non-Spatial Table Support

Any table can be read or written to a Geodatabase with FME, whether or not it contains spatial data. The FME can read, write, and create regular RDBMS tables (such as those in Oracle) in Geodatabase.

Versioning Support

FME enables data to be read from a particular transactional version, historical marker, or historical date and time of an Enterprise Geodatabase, and also allows data to be written to a specific transactional version of an Enterprise Geodatabase.

Version Differences

FME can also read only the changes between any two transactional or any two historical versions. This is useful for applications such as database replications as it focuses on the changes since the last read.

Fully Automatic Import and Export

FME’s Geodatabase support provides fully automated import and export of data through FME Workbench. This is ideal for quick data imports and exports.

Mapping File Customization

FME’s ability to generate mapping files for user customization allows greater and more precise control over Geodatabase translations.

Unicode Support

Geodatabase text columns are stored in UTF-16 encoding. FME can read and write this data.

Archiving Support

The Geodatabase reader can retrieve archived data from a table that has archiving enabled, through the use of a WHERE clause constrained by the gdb_from_date and gdb_to_date attributes.

Esri ArcGIS Compatibility

To use Esri Geodatabase formats, FME requires that ArcGIS be installed and licensed on the same machine as FME.

For FME to interface with the expected ArcGIS product, check that the related workspace parameter is set in FME Workbench. From the Navigator pane, go to: Workspace Parameters > Translation > Esri ArcGIS Compatibility. The parameter options are:

  • Auto (default) – If required, Esri ArcMap, Esri ArcGIS Pro, or equivalent must be installed and licensed on the system.
  • Esri ArcMap – Esri ArcMap or equivalent must be installed and licensed on the system.
  • Esri ArcGIS Pro – Esri ArcGIS Pro or equivalent must be installed and licensed on the system.