Summary

Chapter 1 Summary

In this chapter, you learned how to design, author, test, and edit a complete geodatabase by following a real-life example. You started with designing the schema of the geodatabase. You also specified the fields, data types, and geometry type for the feature classes. You then created the physical file geodatabase using ArcCatalog, specified the spatial reference, and used the editing tools in ArcMap to populate the geodatabase with features.

In the next chapter, you will enhance the skills acquired in this chapter to do more work with geodatabase datasets.

Chapter 2 Summary

This chapter was lengthy and full of practical exercises. You have acquired new skills and tools that will allow you to do more on the geodatabase. You added new attributes, worked with domains and subtypes, and even created a relationship class that links multiple datasets together. You were able to create annotation classes that are useful for labeling maps. Finally, you learned how to import and convert other data files into your geodatabase and make them consistent in a single spatial reference so that you have a single geodatabase to manage, which will have all your data. So far, we have been creating datasets without paying attention to efficiency and optimization factors.

In the next chapter, we will discuss best practices for modeling the geodatabase in order to achieve an optimal and consistent design.

Chapter 3 Summary

In this chapter, you learned how to model the geodatabase. Using your newly acquired skills, you redesigned your model and simplified your geodatabase. You learned how to enable attachments on a feature class in order to allow attaching files for individual features. You also added new subtypes, reassigned the domains, and tested all this by the end of the chapter. In the next chapter, we will take the geodatabase to the next level by optimizing it to run effectively.

Chapter 4 Summary

In this chapter, you have learned three new optimization techniques that can be performed to achieve optimal efficiency for file geodatabases. You worked with both spatial and attribute indexing, and you learned when to use each efficiently. You also learned that overusing indexing could cause a performance penalty if planned poorly. Then, you worked with compression, which helps drastically reduce the geodatabase size and save plenty of disk space. Finally, you learned how compacting can help speed up queries of a frequently edited geodatabase. The next chapter will discuss some scripting and programming techniques on how to manage and administer the geodatabase using the file geodatabase API.

Chapter 5 Summary

In this chapter, we discussed some programming flavors. You perceived working with geodatabases from a completely different angle. The chapter demonstrates two methods for programming geodatabases, Python and model builder. Python took the lion's share in this chapter; at first, you learned how to work with basic Python scripting. Then, you were introduced to the arcpy module built by Esri, which allows Python to tap into the power of ArcGIS and do much more. You dove deep into Python by solving a real-world problem from the ground up using Python. Then, you learned about the model builder and how you can combine and mash up multiple geoprocessing tools to create more sophisticated tools. Unlike Python, the model builder requires no programming skills to work on, which makes it desirable for many users.

In the next chapter, we will discuss how to install, configure, and administer an enterprise geodatabase with Microsoft SQL Server Express from scratch. Enterprise geodatabases are powerful, support multiusers, and are recommended for a large number of users.