Esri Geodatabase (File Geodb ArcObjects) Writer Parameters

• If this option is unchecked (default) and a database already exists, then tables and features are written to the existing database.
• If this option is checked, any existing database is deleted before writing begins.

If no database exists when writing begins, a new database is created.

Note: After a database is deleted, it cannot be recovered – all data is lost.

If a template File Geodatabase is specified, the writer will make a copy of the template into the location specified in the Dataset parameter. All operations will be performed on the copy while the original template File Geodatabase remains unchanged.

The parameter is available only when Overwrite Existing Database is enabled.

Note: Since it is doing a complete copy, any data present in the template will also be copied to the destination. To remove unwanted data from tables or feature classes, set Truncate Table to Yes on each feature type. Alternatively, to copy only schema and not data, use ArcGIS to export the schema to an XML Workspace Document, then set the writer to import the resultant schema with the Import XML Workspace Document (Schema Only) parameter (below).

If specified, the writer will import the complete schema from the Esri XML workspace document specified into the destination Geodatabase. 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: The XML Workspace document may contain both schema and data; however, FME imports only the schema.

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.

• 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 the tables that have custom behavior associated with them.
• Transactions: Starts the (regular) transaction mechanism. This can be used only when writing to non-versioned tables that do not have custom behavior.
• None: No transaction mechanism is used. This can be used only when writing to non-versioned tables that do not have custom behavior.

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

Note that simplifying geometries can be resource-intensive.

For details on the conditions for invalid geometry and how it is simplified, please refer to ArcGIS documentation: Simplifying a Geometry and Calling the Simplify Method.

Determines whether or not the dataset contains z coordinates. Valid values are Yes, No, or Auto Detect. The default is Auto Detect.

Because Geodatabase does not allow mixed 2D and 3D features in the same feature class, it is best to choose a value of Yes for this parameter if you have mixed dimensions. The 2D features will be forced to 3D.

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.

This parameter determines what version of Geodatabase should be created: 9.3, 10.0, or CURRENT (which is the default).