Essential ArcSDE geodatabase vocabulary

The following list defines some of the terms used when discussing ArcSDE geodatabases.

Term	Definition
administration commands	The ArcSDE administration commands are a set of utilities installed with the ArcSDE component that allow you to administer the geodatabase or work with data from a DOS or shell command prompt. A command reference is installed with the ArcSDE component on Windows and can be copied from the installation DVD for Linux and UNIX.
ArcSDE geodatabase repository	The ArcSDE geodatabase repository comprises the minimum components needed to make a geodatabase; these include system tables, stored procedures, functions, and types.
ArcSDE service	An ArcSDE service, also known as an application server or a three-tiered architecture, conveys spatial data between GIS applications and a geodatabase.
database authentication	Database authentication is one method of validating the credentials of a user attempting to connect to the database; in this case, the user provides the name and password of a database user and the database authorizes or denies authorization of the user's connection.
direct connect or direct connection	A direct connection to a geodatabase is one that is made using the database management system's (DBMS) connection methods and direct-connect drivers in the client application. The connection is made directly from the client to the DBMS without the use of an ArcSDE service. Direct connections are also known as two-tiered connections.
geodatabase versioning	Geodatabase versioning is the method by which multiple users can edit the same data without overwriting each other's edits or blocking others from reading or editing the data; this is accomplished by using separate tables for each versioned dataset to track edits as well as system tables to track different states of the data.
multiversioned views	Multiversioned views incorporate database views, stored procedures, triggers, and functions to access a specified version of data in a geodatabase table using Structured Query Language (SQL).
operating system authentication	Operating system authentication is one method of validating the credentials of a user attempting to connect to the database; in this case, the user's login information is read from the operating system of the connecting client computer. The database uses this information to authorize the connection. The user or application making the connection does not have to provide a separate user name and password.
spatial views	Spatial views are database views that contain the spatial field from a feature class in addition to other attribute fields.
upgrade	In the context of geodatabases, an upgrade operation updates the system tables and stored procedures to provide new functionality or bug fixes.