ArcPad Data Manager - Check Out data and Check in data

[PeterHarrel]

We are using the ArcPad Data Manager to check out data for ArcPad, collect GPS data, then check data in from ArcPad back to the Geodatabase.  These tools are being accessed from within the Trimble GPS Analyst Toolbar, so this is an added layer of complexity that may or may not impact the problem.  This is being done in a class of 35 or so students learning to use integrate GPS with ArcGIS. Two problems.

1. The Check-in process seems very finicky; very dependent on pathways exactly matching.  With 35 students, somebody always manages to do something so the pathway to the geodatabase during check in is not the same as it was when they checked it out.  I can look at the *.apo that was created on check out, and see the pathway of the MXD it was checked out from (and the same folder the geodatabase is in), so can see it is different than the pathway to the geodatabase when we try to check in.  When we try to check in, we select the AXF file to check in, but the tool lists no feature classes.  The students data is fine - we can see the GPS positions as a feature class just fine in ArcPad, but can not get it checked in.  Aside from the painful lesson not to move things or change pathways, we need a fix to be able to get this data back in the geodatabase.  I am not certain exactly how check -out and check in works or if I can edit a file somewhere to get the AXF file to link back to the geodatabase.  It also may be that the Trimble GPS Analyst that is accessing the ArcPad Data Manager is causing issues, but it has to be done from within the Trimble GPS Analyst in order to do diffferential correction. 

2. Occasionally, we will successfully check in data. We can see it in the map, all looks good, then ArcMap crashes before we can 'Save Edits' in the GPS Analyst edit session.  So the checked in data is not saved to the geodatabase.  But, when we try to check it in again, the tool thinks the data has already been checked in and there are no 'new' features.  Only fix so far is to delete the folder containing the AXF file, and get a new copy from the GPS unit.  This works, but not of course if its a class and the GPS units have already been wiped.  Any way to get it to check in data again from the same copy of the AXF? Again, I can't be sure if this is a problem with the Check In tool in ArcPad Data Manager or the interface with Trimble GPS Analyst, but it has to be done from within GPS Analyst to later perform differential correction. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[KevinBurke · Accepted solution]

Hello,

For the first issue, how the tools on GPS Analyst and within the ArcPad Data Manager toolbar work is that when checking an AXF file back into ArcMap, the path to the original data that the AXF was created from, must be exactly the same or the tool will not be able to find where to check the data back into. Unfortunately there is no way to change the path that the AXF file is referencing. In order to be able to tell what that path is, open 'Get Data From ArcPad' and path out to that AXF file. At the top will be the path listed. I know that you need to use GPS Analyst to actually check the data in, this is just a way to see the path its referencing.

For the second issue, unfortunately, once an AXF file gets successfully checked back into ArcMap, there is no way to re-checking those same features from that same copy of the AXF. The workflow that you are currently working, retrieving a copy from the mobile device, is the only way to check in those features again. I understand that the mobile device does get 'cleaned out', so I would recommend making a backup copy of that ArcPad project folder from the mobile device onto a network or local drive somewhere, so that a copy could be retrieved if needed. For the issue with ArcMap crashing upon checkin, if that is a reoccurring issue I would recommend performing an uninstall/reinstall of GPS Analyst or, using test data, try to see if ArcMap crashes if the data is checked back in using the ArcPad Data Manager toolbar.

I hope this information helps.

Thank you.

[StevenRehbaum]

http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/13995-Re-check-in-AXF?p=47716&viewfull=1#post47716

Hello,

For the first issue, how the tools on GPS Analyst and within the ArcPad Data Manager toolbar work is that when checking an AXF file back into ArcMap, the path to the original data that the AXF was created from, must be exactly the same or the tool will not be able to find where to check the data back into. Unfortunately there is no way to change the path that the AXF file is referencing. In order to be able to tell what that path is, open 'Get Data From ArcPad' and path out to that AXF file. At the top will be the path listed. I know that you need to use GPS Analyst to actually check the data in, this is just a way to see the path its referencing.

For the second issue, unfortunately, once an AXF file gets successfully checked back into ArcMap, there is no way to re-checking those same features from that same copy of the AXF. The workflow that you are currently working, retrieving a copy from the mobile device, is the only way to check in those features again. I understand that the mobile device does get 'cleaned out', so I would recommend making a backup copy of that ArcPad project folder from the mobile device onto a network or local drive somewhere, so that a copy could be retrieved if needed. For the issue with ArcMap crashing upon checkin, if that is a reoccurring issue I would recommend performing an uninstall/reinstall of GPS Analyst or, using test data, try to see if ArcMap crashes if the data is checked back in using the ArcPad Data Manager toolbar.

I hope this information helps.

Thank you.

If I understand this correctly, you can do this with a little SQL tweak in ArcPad Studio.  http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/13995-Re-check-in-AXF?p=47716&viewfull=1#post47716.  Seems to work fine.  You could also export the layers to shapefile(s) and append them to the appropriate destination layer(s).  Personally I would go with Option 1 as it takes less time and you avoid dealing with truncated field names in the shapefiles.  HTH

[PeterHarrel]

Thanks Kevin and Steven.  I will save an archive version of the AXF in the future.  Steven, thanks for the pointer to the previous post - for some reason I didn't find that.  I will give it a try on some test data.

By the way, am I correct in that I saw that ArcGIS 10.1 will be able to read AXF files?  And maybe convert them to a feature class (shapefile or geodatabase)?  This would be really nice as a fall back if you can't check data in for some reason.  At least you can get the positions in easily. 

Thanks

[KevinBurke]

Hello,

With regards to being able to read AXF files in version 10.1, that functionality will only be available in the Data Interoperability Extension. Please take a look at this link: http://arcpadteam.blogspot.com/2011/09/read-arcpad-axf-in-arcmap-and.html

For the time being, you could download a trial version of the AXF Reader software from Safe Software: http://www.safe.com/solutions/for-applications/esri/esri-arcgis/arcpad/

That extension above will allow you to open(read) the contents of an AXF in ArcCatalog and in ArcMap(Catalog Window).

Thank you.