[GIS] What does number of shapes does not match the number of table records mean when trying to repair a data source

Question

I'm trying to repair a data source on arc from a .shp file. Every time I match it with the correct .shp file it display an error message stating "Number of shapes does not match the number of record tables". It also will not let me add the desired .shp file to the map either. Is there a way to repair this connection

Answer 1

There is an Esri technical article on this subject. This condition is often (unknowingly) created when someone opens a shapefile .dbf file in Excel and makes alterations. Essentially, the article recommends using a Shapefile Repair Tool. Keep in mind that this solution will alter the shapefile, so create a backup.