What is a file geodatabase?

A file geodatabase is a collection of files in a folder on disk that can store, query, and manage both spatial and nonspatial data.

You create file geodatabases in ArcGIS. See Creating a file geodatabase or Creating new geodatabases with geoprocessing tools for instructions.

A file geodatabase can be used simultaneously by several users, but only one user at a time can edit the same data. Therefore, you can have multiple editors accessing a file geodatabase, but they must be editing different data.

File geodatabases are made up of seven system tables plus user data. User data can be stored in the following types of datasets:

• Feature class
• Feature dataset
• Mosaic dataset
• Raster catalog
• Raster dataset
• Schematic dataset
• Table (nonspatial)
• Toolboxes

Feature datasets can contain feature classes as well as the following types of datasets:

• Parcel fabrics
• Feature-linked annotation
• Geometric networks
• Network datasets
• Relationship classes
• Terrains
• Topologies

The default maximum size of datasets in file geodatabases is 1 TB. The maximum size can be increased to 256 TB for large datasets (usually raster). This is controlled by a configuration keyword. See Configuration keywords for file geodatabases for more information.

File geodatabases can also contain subtypes and domains and participate in checkout/check-in replication and one-way replicas.