Raster storage types in an ArcSDE geodatabase
The data type used for raster columns differs for each database management system (DBMS) ArcSDE supports.
The following is a list of the data types available for each DBMS:
DBMS |
Raster column data type |
---|---|
DB2 |
BLOB |
Informix |
Byte |
Oracle |
ST_Raster SDO_Georaster BLOB LONG RAW |
PostgreSQL |
ST_Raster Bytea |
SQL Server |
ST_Raster Varbinary(Max) Image Note: Rasters created in ArcGIS 10 or later releases do not use the Image data type. |
You control which raster storage type is used for new raster catalogs and datasets by specifying a configuration keyword that contains the RASTER_STORAGE parameter set to the storage type you want.
For example, in SQL Server, the default RASTER_STORAGE type under the DEFAULTS keyword in ArcSDE geodatabases is set to Varbinary(Max). If you want to create or import a raster catalog that will use Varbinary(Max) storage, you could specify the DEFAULTS keyword when you create or import the raster catalog. If you want to create a raster dataset that uses ST_Raster storage, you can either alter the RASTER_STORAGE parameter value under the DEFAULTS keyword or create a custom ST_RASTER configuration keyword and specify that when importing raster data.
You must install the ST_Raster type in the geodatabase to use it.