Determining the version of an enterprise geodatabase

To allow forward and backward compatibility between ArcGIS clients and geodatabases, the version numbers in the gdb_items and version or sde_version system tables do not always change after you upgrade.

Most geodatabase functionality is implemented in the ArcGIS client. When applying a service pack or moving to a new version of ArcGIS, installing the new version of the client software provides you with most new functionality and fixes; therefore, unless there are changes to the geodatabase system tables or stored procedures, you do not need to upgrade your geodatabase. Also, knowing the specific version of a geodatabase becomes irrelevant. You just need to know if the geodatabase is compatible with the ArcGIS client you are using and whether you need to upgrade the geodatabase to implement new functionality or fixes.

You can do one of two things to determine if your geodatabase is compatible with your ArcGIS client and whether it can be upgraded after you install a new version of the ArcGIS client:

• Check the Database Properties.

  Right-click the geodatabase connection in the Catalog tree and click Properties. If the Upgrade Status indicates that the geodatabase matches the ArcGIS release you are using, your geodatabase is compatible with your ArcGIS release, and you do not need to upgrade the geodatabase.

  If system tables or stored procedures need to be upgraded, the text will state that your geodatabase can be upgraded and the Upgrade Geodatabase button will be active.

• Run the ArcPy Describe function to determine whether your geodatabase release is current.

  In this example, the mygdb.sde connection file is located in the directory connections on Linux.

  import arcpy
  
  arcpy.Describe('/connections/mygdb.sde').currentRelease
  

  True is returned if your geodatabase is at a release that is compatible with the ArcGIS client release from which you ran the Python script, and the geodatabase does not need to be upgraded; otherwise, False is returned. You can run a Python script to upgrade the geodatabase or use the Upgrade Geodatabase geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS for Desktop.