I tried to open bathymetry map to the ArcMap but I just can open .shp file but I could not open other files accompanied with shp file because of the file type. How do I import .dbf, .prj, .sbn, ,sbx, file to the ArcMap?
[GIS] Importing .sbx, .dbf, .prj, .idx, and .sbn files into ArcMap
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Related Solutions
The set of files that you have is referred to collectively, as a Shapefile. It is a common spatial data format developed by ESRI that is used for data transfer between many different packages.
This format consists of 3 primary files with the same name, but the following file extensions:
- .shp
- .dbf
- .shx
A file containing Projection information:
- .prj
Plus a couple of files generated by software that are spatial indexes:
- .sbn
- .sbx
Of the first 3 files, the .shp file contains the spatial information, namely, x,y coordinate pairs describing the point, line or polygon features contained in the file.
The .dbf file is a dbase format file, and contains the Attribute information, or the descriptive characteristics of the features. Some examples of this would be: "Name", if the feature is a point representing a city; "Road Name", or "Speed", if the feature is a line representing a street; or "Population" if the feature is a polygon representing a county area*, or country.
The .shx file acts as a linking file between the .shp and .dbf. It matches up the correct row in the .shp file with the correct record in the .dbf file.
Without these first 3 files, you do not have a valid shapefile.
The other files listed are optional, though the .prj is necessary for correct positioning of your data with respect to other spatial data, and for measuring and calculating distance. See Map Projection, for more information.
The .sbx and .sbn are generally created automatically when the shapefile is created. They can, however, be deleted and recreated without invalidating the shapefile as a whole.
Generally, when you use software that is able to read this format, the files listed in the add layers window are the .shp file. The other files are automatically loaded in. If, however, there is a problem with one of the 3 primary files, the .shp file may be loaded in, but an error will appear saying that this is not a valid shapefile, or simply no features will appear.
In the case you have shown, you appear to be missing the critical .shx file. Without this, there is no connection between the spatial features and the attribute data, thus the software is not able to load the shapefile in properly. What you need to do is go back to the source of your data and make sure that you obtain the .shx file as well. Once you do that, you should be able to load the data in with no problems.
This answer may be overkill, but it helps to know what the files included in a shapefile are for. It may help in the future to know what to look for if you encounter a similar problem.
Have you got the *.shx file? It seems to be required to open shapefile.
Best Answer
They are not supposed to be opened with Arcmap directly (except for dbf, which can be opened independently). They are being used when you are adding the shp file to the Arcmap!
description of each file:
dbf (database file): contains the attribute table of the shape file
prj : a textual file containing the projection system of the shape file
sbn, sbx: contains geometrical indexes of the shapefile
idx: contains attribute indexes of the attribute table
Once you add a shapefile to the map, these files are being used implicitly.