A quick tour of administering ArcSDE geodatabases

ArcSDE geodatabases are stored in relational database management systems (RDBMS) and are typically accessed by a large number of users. As a result, there is some administration required to make sure the geodatabase is set up properly, users can access the data they need, and the database runs smoothly.

Key tasks for the administration of an ArcSDE geodatabase include the following:

Installing software and creating a geodatabase

You must install both DBMS and ArcGIS Server software, create a database, then create a geodatabase.

For most database management systems, you obtain the installation from a third-party vendor. However, an installation of the PostgreSQL DBMS is included on the ArcGIS Server media.

The DBMS and ArcSDE can be installed on the same server or on separate servers, depending on the needs and resources of your site.

Configuring the DBMS and ArcSDE

The DBMS is the container for your data. You need to configure it to meet your organization's needs.

Configuration of ArcSDE is minimal; in many cases, default configuration settings are sufficient.

The most common form of configuration has to do with storing data in separate locations in the DBMS. You can create different tablespaces or file groups, then specify these locations in the geodatabase's DBTUNE table. See the topics in the DBTUNE section for more information on storage settings.

Creating user accounts and administering user access

To control access to the geodatabase, you must create or add user accounts to the database. These users may be database users, or they may be operating system accounts that are added to the database as authorized users.

Once users have been added to the database, you can grant permissions to them, individually or in groups, to allow them to perform their work in the geodatabase.

Tuning the geodatabase

Certain settings in the DBMS can be altered to improve memory usage, reduce resource contention, and improve performance of the geodatabase.

Additionally, views can be created on the data in the geodatabase to refine access to the data.

Creating connections to the geodatabase

To work with the data, users connect to the geodatabase from client applications. Connections can be made directly between clients and the database or between clients, an ArcSDE service, and the database. You can use one or both of these connection methods at your site.

For direct connections to the geodatabase, some databases require that a DBMS client be installed and configured on the client computer.

For an ArcSDE service, you need to set up and maintain the service. The ArcSDE service can run on the same server as the DBMS, or it can run on a separate server.

Maintaining the geodatabase

As data is added to the geodatabase and is altered, the geodatabase must be maintained so that the data is available to all authorized users when needed and without any deprecation in performance.

To ensure the data is not lost, the administrator must perform regular backups and have a recovery plan in place and tested.

When new data is added or existing data updated, the administrator must update the DBMS statistics and rebuild indexes to be sure the DBMS optimizer can efficiently query the data.

For versioned geodatabases, the administrator must regularly compress the geodatabase to maintain performance levels.