Table to geodatabase tool - specify output feature class name

408
7
10-20-2023 09:06 AM
Status: Closed
Labels (1)
wayfaringrob
Frequent Contributor

When running the table to geodatabase tool, allow the user to specify output feature class name like the vast majority of GP tools. Right now it just accepts the name of your Excel sheet (e.g. Sheet1_) with no opportunity to change. To do that, you have to pop over to your catalog and rename it after the fact - something I like to avoid, since this is not recorded in GP history. For that, I guess you could use the rename tool, but why the hassle...

7 Comments
BBicking1

Hello @wayfaringrob, you can accomplish that by using the Export Table tool, for sure available in ArcGIS Pro 3.0.

BBicking1_0-1698263333173.png

 Here the output from Tbl2GDB and ExportTbl side-by-side giving you the same contents with the table name you want

BBicking1_1-1698263449805.png

 

wayfaringrob

@BBicking1why does the table to gdb tool even exist then? if it's going to coexist with export table, shouldn't there at least be feature parity?

BBicking1

Hello @wayfaringrob,

it's in the name of the tools:

Tbl2GDB  converts one or more tables to a GDB.

ExportTbl exports tables of different formats in different workspaces to tables of different formats in different workspaces, incl. to a GDB, as is documented in the tool's doc.

Let us know if you have more questions.

wayfaringrob

@BBicking1  right, this doesn't really answer my question though. As you've pointed out, export table does what table to geodatabase does and then some. Why does table to geodatabase exist if its functionality is included (and even improved) within export table? Redundancy can be appropriate in some circumstances, but this is confounding

BBicking1

@wayfaringrob, I will make sure your concern gets addressed.

DrewFlater
Status changed to: Closed

Table To Geodatabase offers a simplified tool for converting multiple input tables of various formats into one geodatabase. Export Table can be used if you wish to control the output table name or other settings applied during the conversion/export.

Both tools can exist and be useful, find and choose the tool that suits your workflow.

wayfaringrob

@DrewFlater  @BBicking1   what is the advantage of using table to geodatabase, other than hiding functionality that one might be looking for when stumbling upon the tool? If I have a table and I'm looking to convert to .gdb, this would easily be the first tool I select (in fact, it was). If it didn't exist, I might keep looking - but it has the most intuitive name for what I'm looking for, so I feel like I'm going to end up here again down the road. I'm still not understanding the justification for table to geodatabase, but if they must coexist, why not have a banner, like in clip and other tools that offer an updated (pairwise) version?