The Geodatabase writer requires that every Geodatabase table to which a feature is written be defined within the FME mapping file if the table does not yet exist. If the table exists when writing, then only the table name needs to be specified on the DEF line. When reading from the Geodatabase, it is not necessary that the source tables be defined. Geodatabase tables are specified within the FME mapping file using the <WriterKeyword>_DEF statement. It is important to note that when using FME to define a simple table with no spatial column, the definition is merely in this form:
<WriterKeyword>_DEF <tableName> \ [geodb_type geodb_table ] \ [<attribute name> <attribute type>]* \ [GEODB_OBJECT_ID_NAME <column_name>] \ [GEODB_OBJECT_ID_ALIAS <column_name>]
The more general format of a table definition – in which a spatial column can be defined (a feature class in Esri terms) – is given here.
<WriterKeyword>_DEF <tableName> \
[geodb_type <geodb_type>] \
[<attribute name> <attribute type>] * \
[GEODB_UPDATE_KEY_COLUMNS <list of column names>] \
[GEODB_DROP_TABLE < YES | NO >] \
[GEODB_TRUNCATE_TABLE < YES | NO >] \
[GEODB_OBJECT_ID_NAME <column_name>] \
[GEODB_OBJECT_ID_ALIAS <column_name>] \
[ GEODB_SHAPE_NAME <column_name> \
GEODB_SHAPE_ALIAS <column_name> \
GEODB_FEATURE_DATASET <feature_dataset_name>] \
GEODB_GRID{1} <grid1size> \
[GEODB_GRID{2} <grid2size>] \
[GEODB_GRID{3} <grid3size>] \
[GEODB_GRID{n} <gridnsize>] \
[GEODB_AVG_NUM_POINTS <num_points>] \
[GEODB_XORIGIN <minimum_x>] \
[GEODB_YORIGIN <minimum_y>] \
[GEODB_XYSCALE <scale>] \
[GEODB_HAS_Z_VALUES < YES | NO >] \
[GEODB_ZORIGIN <minimum_z>] \
[GEODB_ZSCALE <scale>] \
[GEODB_HAS_MEASURES < YES | NO >] \
[GEODB_MEASURES_ORIGIN <measures_origin>] \
[GEODB_MEASURES_SCALE <measures_scale>] \
[GEODB_ANNO_REFERENCE_SCALE <anno_ref_scale>] \
]
Note: The OBJECTID column and SHAPE column precede all user-defined columns in a new table or feature class created by the Geodatabase writer.