Create 10.1 ArcSDE Services in SQL on DBO schema

[KarenFolger]

None of the examples seem to address how to create ArcSDE services on DBO schema.  What are the real parameters? I've edited the sdeservices.sde file and the windows services file.  I'm using a custom named service.  It creates the service but it won't start.
This is such an archaic system.  Why not a GUI?  I know you don't want us to use services anymore but I've got a bunch of things created that use them and I want to upgrade the geodb's and SDE to 10.1.  I've got 10.1 of ArcGIS, ArcGIS server, ArcGIS SDE, Windows 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008 R2, on a test server.

I tried doing:
sdeservice -o create sqlserver,servername -i service_name

It created something but still wouldn't start.

sdeservice -o register -d sqlserver,servername -r SDE_DBA_USER -v service_name -i service_name

It registered something but the service still won't create.  Is SDE_DBA_USER something real?  Should I put something else there?  I tried using my DBO login but no dice. 

Desperate.

[MarcoBoeringa]

None of the examples seem to address how to create ArcSDE services on DBO schema.  What are the real parameters? I've edited the sdeservices.sde file and the windows services file.  I'm using a custom named service.  It creates the service but it won't start.
This is such an archaic system.  Why not a GUI?  I know you don't want us to use services anymore but I've got a bunch of things created that use them and I want to upgrade the geodb's and SDE to 10.1.  I've got 10.1 of ArcGIS, ArcGIS server, ArcGIS SDE, Windows 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008 R2, on a test server.

I tried doing:
sdeservice -o create sqlserver,servername -i service_name

It created something but still wouldn't start.

sdeservice -o register -d sqlserver,servername -r SDE_DBA_USER -v service_name -i service_name

It registered something but the service still won't create.  Is SDE_DBA_USER something real?  Should I put something else there?  I tried using my DBO login but no dice. 

Desperate.

Karen,

Whether ArcSDE Command Line is archaic or not, is up to you, but many scientific or administrator utilities still use "command line" type of operation for at least some of their functionality, or as an option to allow unattended batch operation...

If you're not familiar with command line applications or geodatabase administration specifically, I really recommend you to get some ESRI training, unless you're highly experienced with diverse projects and software environments and usually "can figure it out yourself". There is just to much at stake with handling enterprise geodatabases in multi-user environments.

That said, you may find this ESRI Australia blog of some help concerning setting up ArcSDE services at 10.1:

Creating an ArcSDE Service on Windows using ArcGIS 10.1 (ESRI Australia)

[KarenFolger]

Interesting reply.  I suspect I've been doing command line programming longer than a lot of people so we probably should not get into that kind of discussion.  I had been reading the exact post you mention.  However, that post is not very explicit about the specific parameters.  Should I get software install instructions from a blog?  Configuration specifications?  Really?  Why would a software vendor not make this easier.  Oh, so dummies can't muck it up? Or so the administrators can't get the systems to work? 

Here's what that document says about DBO databases:

"4. If you are using a dbo-schema geodatabase, type the sdeservice command with the register operation to register the user with which the giomgr will connect to the database.

sdeservice -o register -d SQLSERVER,MYSERVER\SSINSTANCE
-r SDE_DBA_USER -v esri_sde -i esri_sde"

What is not clear is a) if SDE_DBA_USER is a specific username or is this some kind of keyword?  Or you're supposed to put in an actual user name how do you do it.  I tried mine and it wouldn't accept it.

[MarcoBoeringa]

Why would a software vendor not make this easier.  Oh, so dummies can't muck it up? Or so the administrators can't get the systems to work?

This has been a complaint for years, and ESRI more or less finally listened by providing the Geodatabase Administration dialogs and tools at 10.1, and, as you already understood, by making "Direct Connect" default as of 10.1, which takes away the burden of getting your ArcSDE Application Server service running.

On the other hand, I do think to many organizations take the geodatabase administrator role to lightly, often, the role is often historically just fulfilled by anyone who happens to know "a little more" than the rest. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king...

I am not suggesting this applies to you, just in general. To be a really good geodatabase administrator, you need to be both versed in DBA work, and know the GIS side of it all. That may require professional training through ESRI courses.

"4. If you are using a dbo-schema geodatabase, type the sdeservice command with the register operation to register the user with which the giomgr will connect to the database.

sdeservice -o register -d SQLSERVER,MYSERVER\SSINSTANCE
-r SDE_DBA_USER -v esri_sde -i esri_sde"

What is not clear is a) if SDE_DBA_USER is a specific username or is this some kind of keyword?  Or you're supposed to put in an actual user name how do you do it.  I tried mine and it wouldn't accept it.

I think this Help page will help you out on the answer of your question (scroll down to "Options" - yes, it is a keyword) and any others you might have:

The sdeservice command
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/install-guides/arcsde-application-server-microsoft-sql-server/10...

As the above help page says, the "-r" determines which Windows registry key you are going to set. The "-v" is where you put the actual value that the registry key should take on, in your case the name of the DBA user.

E.g., in your case, if you have DBO schema, the commands are probably going to look something like this. Replace everything starting with "Your" by values based on your instance. "YourDBOLoginName" is the name of the login associated with your DBO user in your SQL server instance:

sdeservice -o create -d SQLSERVER,YourSQLServerInstanceName -p YourDBOpassword
-i esri_sde

sdeservice -o register -r SDE_DBA_USER -v YourDBOLoginName -i esri_sde -p YourDBOpassword -d SQLSERVER,YourSQLServerInstanceName

sdeservice -o register -r ADMIN_DATABASE -v YourDatabaseName -i esri_sde -p YourDBOpassword -d SQLSERVER,YourSQLServerInstanceName

You may need to use "-o modify" instead of "-o register" since you already made an attempt at setting these registry keys.

[LeoDonahue]

In dbo schema, the arc SDE DBA account is the user who performed the ArcSDE installation.Personally I prefer installing SDE schema for this and other reasons.

[KarenFolger · Accepted solution]

This has been a complaint for years, and ESRI more or less finally listened by providing the Geodatabase Administration dialogs and tools at 10.1, and, as you already understood, by making "Direct Connect" default as of 10.1, which takes away the burden of getting your ArcSDE Application Server service running.

On the other hand, I do think to many organizations take the geodatabase administrator role to lightly, often, the role is often historically just fulfilled by anyone who happens to know "a little more" than the rest. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king...

I am not suggesting this applies to you, just in general. To be a really good geodatabase administrator, you need to be both versed in DBA work, and know the GIS side of it all. That may require professional training through ESRI courses.



I think this Help page will help you out on the answer of your question (scroll down to "Options" - yes, it is a keyword) and any others you might have:

The sdeservice command
http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/install-guides/arcsde-application-server-microsoft-sql-server/10...

As the above help page says, the "-r" determines which Windows registry key you are going to set. The "-v" is where you put the actual value that the registry key should take on, in your case the name of the DBA user.

E.g., in your case, if you have DBO schema, the commands are probably going to look something like this. Replace everything starting with "Your" by values based on your instance. "YourDBOLoginName" is the name of the login associated with your DBO user in your SQL server instance:

sdeservice -o create -d SQLSERVER,YourSQLServerInstanceName -p YourDBOpassword
-i esri_sde

sdeservice -o register -r SDE_DBA_USER -v YourDBOLoginName -i esri_sde -p YourDBOpassword -d SQLSERVER,YourSQLServerInstanceName

sdeservice -o register -r ADMIN_DATABASE -v YourDatabaseName -i esri_sde -p YourDBOpassword -d SQLSERVER,YourSQLServerInstanceName

You may need to use "-o modify" instead of "-o register" since you already made an attempt at setting these registry keys.

This was finally the trick - I didn't realize that the -r -v combos were actually the type of thing being modified and then the actual entry.  I couldn't make sense of that in the instructions anywhere.  So once we figured out that you could only run one combo of -r and -v that did the trick, but we had to do both, one for the database name, another for the User.  Thanks.

[MarcoBoeringa]

This was finally the trick - I didn't realize that the -r -v combos were actually the type of thing being modified and then the actual entry.  I couldn't make sense of that in the instructions anywhere.  So once we figured out that you could only run one combo of -r and -v that did the trick, but we had to do both, one for the database name, another for the User.  Thanks.

Good to hear you got it running. I admit the examples given in the Help page I linked, although this page gives a quite comprehensive overview of the actual "sdeservice" command and all its options, aren't the best. The examples and the way they are represented, are confusing.

Marco