Data migration from one storage type to another

You can use the Migrate Storage geoprocessing tool to migrate existing binary, spatial, or raster columns from one storage type to another. This is done by specifying a configuration keyword that contains an ATTRBUTE_BINARY, GEOMETRY_STORAGE, or RASTER_STORAGE parameter set to the new storage type to which you want to convert the data.

It is important that the keyword be properly created to include the correct parameter and value. If you specify a keyword with incorrect or missing information, the information is read from the DEFAULTS keyword. For this reason, Esri recommends that you create a custom keyword specifically for the migration and make sure the keyword contains the parameter and value to which you are migrating the data, as well as a UI_TEXT parameter. The UI_TEXT parameter makes the keyword available for use to ArcGIS clients.

To add a keyword to the DBTUNE table requires the sdedbtune command. ArcSDE administation command tools can be installed with the ArcSDE application server.

TipTip:

To learn about configuration keywords and parameters, see What are DBTUNE configuration keywords and parameters? and its related topics.

The following are the supported migration paths by database management system (DBMS):

DBMS

Configuration parameter

Migrate from/to

Oracle

ATTRIBUTE_BINARY

LONG RAW to BLOB

GEOMETRY_STORAGE

LONG RAW (SDEBINARY) to BLOB (SDELOB)

LONG RAW (SDEBINARY) to ST_GEOMETRY

BLOB (SDELOB) to ST_GEOMETRY

SDO_GEOMETRY to ST_GEOMETRY

RASTER_STORAGE

LONG RAW to BLOB

LONG RAW to ST_RASTER*

BLOB to ST_RASTER*

PostgreSQL

RASTER_STORAGE

BYTEA to ST_RASTER*

SQL Server

RASTER_STORAGE

IMAGE to ST_RASTER*

GEOMETRY_STORAGE

SDEBINARY to GEOMETRY

SDEBINARY to GEOGRAPHY

OGCWKB to GEOMETRY

OGCWKB to GEOGRAPHY

*ST_Raster must be installed in the geodatabase. See Installing the ST_Raster type in Oracle, Installing the ST_Raster type in PostgreSQL, or Installing the ST_Raster type in SQL Server for instructions.

TipTip:

If the table being migrated is registered as versioned, migrating it to a different storage type also updates the corresponding columns in the Adds table. If the feature class has archiving enabled, the archive table's columns are also updated

Why would I migrate my data?

There are two reasons you would migrate your data: 1) to be able to access your spatial or raster data using structured query language (SQL); 2) to move from a data type that may not be supported in the future to one that is.

SQL access

Accessing the information in a geodatabase via SQL allows external applications (those not developed in an ArcObjects environment) to work with the tabular data managed by the geodatabase. If these applications need to access spatial or raster data in the geodatabase, you must store your spatial or raster data in data types that allow SQL access. For example, using the ST_Raster storage type allows you to access your raster data with SQL, something that you cannot do easily if your raster data is stored in a BLOB, LONG RAW, IMAGE, BINARY, or BYTEA field.

Moving from types that may not be supported in future releases

Oracle is recommending the use of BLOB or BFILE data types instead of LONG RAW data types in its databases. Although LONG RAW columns are still supported, if you have LONG RAW attribute, geometry, or raster fields in your current ArcSDE geodatabase in Oracle, you should migrate them to a different format in preparation for when they are not supported.

The storage for the attribute, geometry, and raster columns in a geodatabase is controlled by the DBTUNE parameters ATTRIBUTE_BINARY, GEOMETRY_STORAGE, and RASTER_STORAGE, respectively. The defaults for these parameters under the DBTUNE DEFAULTS configuration keyword are different depending on which release of ArcGIS you were using when you created your geodatabase. The following table shows the default setting under the DEFAULTS keyword in the DBTUNE table of ArcSDE geodatabases in Oracle.

Parameter

Default at ArcGIS 9.3 and later releases

Default at ArcGIS 9.2

Default prior to ArcGIS 9.2

ATTRIBUTE_BINARY

BLOB

BLOB

LONG RAW

GEOMETRY_STORAGE

ST_GEOMETRY

LONG RAW (SDEBINARY)

LONG RAW (SDEBINARY)

RASTER_STORAGE

BLOB

LONG RAW

LONG RAW

NoteNote:

Data created in new (not upgraded) 9.3 or later release geodatabases using the default parameter settings do not use the LONG RAW storage type. However, any existing data created with any or all of these parameters set to LONG RAW or any new data in upgraded geodatabases that have these parameters set to LONG RAW will still contain LONG RAW columns. To change the data types for these columns, you must alter your DBTUNE settings and migrate the data.

Beginning with ArcGIS 10.1, feature classes created in geodatabases in SQL Server use the Microsoft geometry type be default. To move your existing feature classes to the geometry storage type, use the Migrate Storage geoprocessing tool or a Python script.

To alter the DBTUNE settings, use the sdedbtune command to add a parameter to an existing keyword or to export, alter, then import the contents of the DBTUNE table. See the ArcSDE Administration Command Reference for information on using the sdedbtune command. As mentioned previously, the command and reference are installed separately and can be downloaded from the Esri Customer Care Portal.

Before you migrate...

The following conditions must be met before you convert your data:

Related Topics

4/2/2015