Enabling geodatabase functionality in an Informix database

This topic applies to ArcGIS for Desktop Standard and ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced only.

You can connect from ArcGIS for Desktop as a geodatabase administrator to an existing IBM Informix database and create a geodatabase in it.

You would do this if you decide you want to use geodatabase functionality such as topologies, networks, versioned editing, archiving, or replication in your Informix database.

The following are the steps you take to enable geodatabase functionality in an Informix database using the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool, which can be accessed from the database connection in the Catalog tree in ArcGIS for Desktop.

Steps:

1. Install and configure Informix on your server.
2. Be sure the Informix Basic Text Search module is registered.
3. Register the Informix Spatial DataBlade module.
4. Create an operating system user named sde, which will connect to the database to enable geodatabase functionality.
5. Make the following changes to the Informix ONCONFIG file:
   1. Uncomment the VPCLASS jvp,num=1 parameter.

      This allows the sde.retrieve_uid() function to be created in the geodatabase, which is required for replication, off-line map use, and SQL edits of tables containing global ID or GUID columns.

   2. Set the USEOSTIME parameter to 1 to use subsecond precision for time values.

      Setting this parameter allows you to implement editing workflows that require editing nonversioned data while disconnected from the network.

   3. Restart Informix to implement the changes you made to the ONCONFIG file.
6. Create a database in the Informix instance and configure storage spaces.
7. Grant the sde user the EXTEND role and RESOURCE permissions in the database.
8. Start ArcMap or ArcCatalog.
9. Create a database connection to the Informix database from the Catalog tree, connecting as the sde user.

   Be sure to save the user's password on the Database Connection dialog box.

   Note:

   You cannot use a DSNless connection when enabling geodatabase functionality or upgrading a geodatabase.

10. Right-click the database connection and click Enable Geodatabase.

    The Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tool opens.

11. Add the database connection file for your Informix database to the Input Database text box.
12. Browse to the ArcGIS for Server authorization file that was created when you authorized ArcGIS for Server, and add it to the Authorization File text box.

    When you use the wizard to authorize ArcGIS for Server, a keycodes file is written to the server where the software is installed. If you authorized ArcGIS for Server on a Linux box, the file was created in /arcgis/server/framework/runtime/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/ESRI/License<release>/sysgen. If you authorized on a Windows server, the file was created in Program Files\ESRI\License<release>\sysgen. If you have not already done so, authorize ArcGIS for Server to create this file.

13. Click OK to run the tool.

A geodatabase is created in the database.

A log file for the geodatabase creation (GDBCreateGeodatabase<#>.log) is written to the directory specified for your %TEMP% variable on the computer where the tool is run. If you have any problems running the tool, check this log file to troubleshoot the problem.