Latest Contributions by PeterVeenstra

Business Case Currently the XML Import Tool will create a new geodatabase. There is no methodology for ‘updating’ the schema for an existing Geodatabase. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect is an excellent UML modeling tool that generates ESRI format ‘XML Workspace’ document. There is the need to incrementally update the existing Geodatabase with changes to the schema as modeled by Enterprise Architect. The existing VISIO XMI Case Tool Import wizard does this. As changes are located between the input XML (or previous the XMI) and the existing Geodatabase then these were highlighted in the interface to allow the user to accept them or not. Present the user with a listing of potential changes.   Changes could be additions of feature data sets, feature classes, tables, fields, domain values, relationships classes. Deletions could be for/from the same list. Updates are trickier but could involve changing field types for attributes. I would treat them like a standard geodatabase edit – delete/add. Delete the old and replace with the new. But do not delete tables with data in them.   The more I noodle around with this in my head I think I need to be a little more specific on what we need here. But this is a start. Again, let me know if there is any other steps I need to take.   Peter https://community.esri.com/ideas/2720 (I tied this one to “Integrate with Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect CASE Tool for Geodatabase modeling” for lack of a better alternative.) ... View more

ldmitruk has the right of it. EA is great. Sparx are great folks and are willing to work with the ESRI community. But until the XML Workspace Import functionality supports incremental schema updates then this solution won't work well. EA can build a schema fast and easy. It is a great tool to work with and there is a rich set of functionality. Need the incremental schema update.  ... View more

 I echo the thoughts presented by 'dananrg' below (or above). ESRI has a plethora of scripts and utilities written by there own internal staff and users for the management of SDE and the Geodatabase particularly for SDE and Schema management. These thoughts have been posted to the Geodatabase BLOG as well. The XML schema for the geodatabase exists which is good (except large!). But it does exhaustively itemize the structure of a geodatabase and since it is XML can be extended. So - tools to analyze the XML as a representation of the schema and then allow it to be 'applied' back against the schema would be helpful. I've posted a request for a schema differences tool - this is done for replica's right now. Same thing applies for here. There are other tools (Like Sparx Enterprise Architect) that could be used to handle the diagramming side of things but the management and assessment of the schema added by EsRi would be powerful. ... View more