Client and geodatabase compatibility
The geodatabases described in Types of geodatabases can be accessed by various Esri client software. These include the following:
- ArcGIS for Desktop
- ArcGIS for Server applications and services (not supported with personal or desktop geodatabases)
Compatible releases
You do not have to keep your geodatabase and ArcGIS clients at the same release. Just be aware that, when you make a connection between releases, the functionality available to you may be limited.
The following table indicates which version of the client applications listed at the beginning of this topic can connect to which versions of the geodatabase:
|
Client release |
Personal geodatabase release |
File geodatabase release |
Enterprise, workgroup, or desktop geodatabase using a direct connection |
Enterprise geodatabase using an ArcSDE service connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
9.3 |
9, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 |
9.2, 9.3 |
9.3 (if client has pre-9.3 geodatabase direct-connect files* installed, can connect to 9, 9.1, and 9.2) |
9, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3 |
|
10** |
9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 |
9.2, 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 |
9.2, 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 |
9.2, 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 |
10.1 | 9.2, 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 | 9.2, 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 | 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 | 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 |
10.2 (including 10.2.1 and 10.2.2) | 9.2, 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 | 9.2, 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 | 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 | 9.3, 10, 10.1, 10.2 |
*Pre-9.3 direct connect drivers are an optional separate installation available on the ArcGIS 9.3 client installation media.
**Esri recommends that ArcGIS 10 clients connecting to 10.1 or later release geodatabases use 10 SP2, which contains several fixes to improve the user experience for connecting to 10.1 or later release geodatabases.
For more information on client connections made to enterprise geodatabases, see the topic appropriate to your database management system:
Functionality available when using mixed client and geodatabase releases
Beginning with ArcGIS 10.1, you no longer need to upgrade the geodatabase to the current release to take advantage of the following geodatabase functionality:
- Python scripting with annotation and dimension feature classes
- Editor tracking on tables and feature classes
- Version 10.1 network datasets, which include functionality for live traffic data, soft restrictions, preferred truck routes, and Python script evaluators
- Version 10.1 mosaic datasets, which include improved generation of seamlines and footprints, support for more raster types, additional properties, and tools to analyze the mosaic dataset for known errors or limitations
When you connect from an ArcGIS 10.1 client to a version 10 geodatabase, you can create datasets with 10.1 functionality, while still allowing ArcGIS 10 clients to connect to and use the geodatabase. This forward compatibility helps you migrate to ArcGIS 10.1 and later releases because it allows you to migrate your desktop clients to take advantage of new functionality without upgrading your server.
While ArcGIS 10 clients can open, query, edit, and save data in 10.1 and 10.2.x geodatabases, they cannot open datasets with 10.1 or 10.2.x functionality and will encounter the following error message when trying to open one of these datasets:
The version of the Geodatabase client is incompatible with the dataset and cannot open it.
Similarly, you can apply Conflict Field Filters to versioned tables and feature classes with ArcGIS 10.2.1. However, you will receive the afore mentioned error if you try to open these versioned tables and feature classes using an ArcGIS 10.2 or earlier version client.
When do you need to upgrade a geodatabase?
In many cases, upgrading the geodatabase is optional. You would want to upgrade, though, if either of the following is true:
- The client release you are using cannot connect to the geodatabase release you want to use.
- You want to take advantage of functionality available in a newer release of the geodatabase.
For more information on geodatabase upgrades, see the upgrade topics appropriate to the type of geodatabase you are using:
File or personal geodatabases | Upgrading file and personal geodatabases |
Desktop or workgroup geodatabases | Upgrading geodatabases on database servers |
Enterprise geodatabases in DB2 on Linux or Windows | Upgrading a geodatabase in DB2 |
Enterprise geodatabases in DB2 on the z operating system | Upgrading a geodatabase for DB2 on z/OS |
Enterprise geodatabases in Informix | Upgrading a geodatabase in Informix |
Enterprise geodatabases in Oracle | Upgrading a geodatabase in Oracle |
Enterprise geodatabases in PostgreSQL | Upgrading a geodatabase in PostgreSQL |
Enterprise geodatabases in SQL Server | Upgrading a geodatabase in SQL Server |