A quick tour of setting up a geodatabase in SQL Server
This topic applies to ArcGIS Desktop Standard and ArcGIS Desktop Advanced only.
Use the Create Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool, Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool, or a Python script to create geodatabases in a SQL Server database management system (DBMS).
In general, if you want ArcGIS to create the database for you, use the Create Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool or Python script. If you want (or are required) to create the database first, use the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool or Python script. The following are some suggestions as to when you would use each method:
- Use the Create Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool if you have access to ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced) and want the tool to create a 500 MB database and 125 MB log file in the default SQL Server location. If you want to use an sde schema geodatabase, this tool also creates a SQL Server-authenticated sde login, sde database user, and sde schema and grants privileges to the sde user to create a geodatabase.
- Use the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool if you have access to ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced) but want to create a different size database and log file or create them in a location other than the SQL Server default directory.
- Use the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool if you have access to ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced) but want to use a Windows-authenticated sde user and sde-schema geodatabase.
- Run a Python script that calls CreateEnterpriseGeodatabase if you want the tool to create the database and log file, and you need to create the geodatabase from a computer running ArcGIS Engine with the Geodatabase Update extension or ArcGIS for Server Enterprise (Standard or Advanced).
- Run a Python script that calls EnableEnterpriseGeodatabase if you want to create the database, log file, sde user, and schema manually, and you need to create the geodatabase from a computer running ArcGIS Engine with the Geodatabase Update extension or ArcGIS for Server Enterprise (Standard or Advanced).
Check the system requirements on the Resource Center before you set up a geodatabase to be sure the database, ArcGIS, and hardware combinations you want to use are supported.
Setting up a geodatabase in SQL Server
The following is a summary of the steps you take to create a geodatabase in SQL Server:
- Install and configure SQL Server.
Protocol at your site will determine if the administrator or another staff member, such as an information systems technician, will do this. See your SQL Server documentation for instructions. Note that case-sensitive and binary collations are not supported with ArcGIS.
- Configure the instance to accept remote connections.
- Decide whether a dbo user or a user named sde will own the geodatabase. For information about which users can own a geodatabase in SQL Server, see A comparison of geodatabase owners in SQL Server.
- If you will be creating the geodatabase from a remote computer, install the SQL Server Native client on that computer.
- Create a database and geodatabase by doing one of the following:
- Run the Create Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool from ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced).
- Run a Python script from a computer running ArcGIS for Desktop (Standard or Advanced), ArcGIS Engine Runtime with the Geodatabase update extension, or ArcGIS for Server Enterprise Standard or Advanced. An example script can be copied from Scripting database and geodatabase creation in SQL Server and altered to run at your site.
Alternatively, you can create a database manually, then run the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase geoprocessing tool. If you want to create a dbo-schema geodatabase, run the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tool as a user who is dbo in the database. If you want to create an sde-schema geodatabase, you must create the sde login, user, and schema, then run the Enable Enterprise Geodatabase tool as the sde user.
Alternate setup scenarios
There are some scenarios that require you to use different tools to set up a geodatabase in SQL Server, such as when you want to use an ArcSDE service for connections or multiple geodatabases are needed in the same SQL Server instance. See Multiple geodatabases in one instance of SQL Server for information on creating more than one geodatabase.
To use an ArcSDE service, you must install and configure the ArcSDE application server. See the installation guide provided with the ArcSDE application server for instructions for this scenario. The ArcSDE application server installation can be downloaded from the Esri Customer Care portal.