[GIS] Adding files within file geodatabase (*.gdb) folder into ArcMap

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I'm trying to use ArcMap to make a basemap and I currently have an unzipped folder full of files including .atx, .gbdindexes, .gdbtable, .gdbtablx, and .spx. I'm well aware that these files cannot be 'added' into the ArcMap database as is. So I've made a .gdb file and I can find the .gdb in both the Catalog and 'Add Data' menus. However, I am not sure how to add the files mentioned above (atx, gdbindexes, etc) into the .gdb in order to add map data into the map.

Can someone help me out? I'm not familiar with these other file types and how the folders work together.

Best Answer

Speaking from personal experience, it is easy to corrupt a GDB if you manipulate the files individually outside of ArcGIS (i.e. ArcMap or ArcCatalog) with something like Windows Explorer. The individual files that you describe make up the guts of a GDB. Instead of adding these individually to a folder, you should be able to locate, view and utilize the GDB directly as long as you are using ArcMap or ArcCatalog. A folder containing the files you mentioned without a .gdb extension is likely a corrupted GDB.

Related Solutions

[GIS] Converting data from .gdb into shapefile without ArcMap

One option that may be a bit faster (less clicks) or you could call from a script would be to use ogr2ogr command (using OSGeo4wShell (which comes with installation of QGIS)).

ogr2ogr -f "ESRI Shapefile" C:/Temp/Shps C:/Temp/test.gdb

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If you want to export out a subset you may use the same command above but at the end list out the table name(s) (e.g. parcel and citybnd).

ogr2ogr -f "ESRI Shapefile" C:/Temp/Shps C:/Temp/test.gdb parcel citybnd

ArcMap – Geodatabase Files Not Recognized Under Add Data

PLEASE NOTE: The following is not a recommended way to copy File Geodatabases, but rather a possible fix for a broken FGDB as in the original Question. This process has the potential to corrupt the database if there are any open files, and may leave orphaned lock files. Don't use on an FGDB that isn't already broken. Please use with caution!

If the contents of a File Geodatabase (FGDB) have been copied to a new folder, these won't appear as a FGDB from within ArcGIS unless the new folder has a .gdb suffix.

It is possible to just re-add the .gdb suffix if the rest of the contents of the folder are still intact. In fact the folder name doesn't even need to match the original FGDB name.

Example from a quick test I have just run:

Created a new FGDB and added some feature classes to it:
Copied that FGDB folder (in Windows Explorer) to a new location with a new name (without the .gdb suffix)
Renamed the folder to include .gdb and refreshed ArcGIS which now shows it as a FGDB rather than a standard Folder

As the file contents of the folder weren't touched, other than being copied to a new folder, the feature classes are still intact within the new renamed FGDB.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[GIS] Converting data from .gdb into shapefile without ArcMap

ArcMap – Geodatabase Files Not Recognized Under Add Data

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