Using the Geodatabase Archiving tools

This topic applies to ArcEditor and ArcInfo only.

Jobs in Workflow Manager sometimes require users to edit data in the multiuser geodatabase. Geodatabase Archiving allows you to view the changes that have happened to your data. In the realm of Workflow Manager, these edits can be associated with a specific job. Workflow Manager provides tools that allow you to view this information. Information such as who edited features, when the features were edited, and what features were edited is accessible through the Workflow Manager geodatabase history tools.

See the geodatabase archiving section on how to enable archiving on your database.

Load Historical Data dialog box

From the Load Historical Data dialog box, you can load historical data from the geodatabase archive tables to view in ArcMap at any time. The Load Historical Data dialog box provides you with different options for querying these edits. Clicking the Load Historical Data button opens the dialog box.

Load Historical Data

Edits can be loaded based on the following criteria:

NoteNote:

These query options can be combined to provide you with more refined results. For example, you can build a query like Edits posted between 2/1/2010 to 2/28/2010 on Job ID 5 logged by John Doe for all visible layers.

Once the layers are added to the map, you can access the layer properties to change the symbology of the various types of modifications. For example, you may want to signify your deletions in a more meaningful color, like red, on the map.

Inspect Historical Data tool

You can use the Inspect Historical Data tool to interactively identify a feature on a map and view the lineage of changes for that feature. When a feature is chosen on the map, the tool mines the history sessions table in the Workflow Manager repository and matches the edits with posted edits using the geodatabase archiving tables to retrieve edits that were posted that matched the feature identified.

The result is presented using a tree view that allows you to step back through each of the previous states of the feature. If a geometry change has occurred, you will be able to see the past geometries overlaid onto your ArcMap session for visual inspection.

Click the Inspect Historical Data button Inspect Historical Data and click a feature on the map. The Inspect Historical Data window is opened in ArcMap. The tree view shows the feature ID and data and time stamp including the job ID that the edits were posted on.

Inspect Historical Data

If the feature has any geometry change, it will be symbolized according to the type of transactions: Add, Modify, Delete.

On the right panel of the Inspect Historical Data dialog box, there are more details on the edit sessions.

The tool also provides you with a graphic view of the feature before and after the edits were posted and highlights the differences to show what part of the feature was modified.

The Transaction History option allows you to use this tool to inspect transactions for historical data added using the Load Historical Data tool.

Reconciling edits

Before any transactions can be viewed or queried, they must be logged. This process is done as part of the posting command. Prior to posting, you must reconcile to remove any conflicts that have occurred due to other editors modifying the same features. Although on the Workflow Manager toolbar, this command is the same that can be seen on the standard Versioning toolbar. It is here for convenience.

Posting edits

You can post your edits at any time throughout the life span of a job using the Post Edits command. On the Workflow Manager toolbar, this command is the same as can be seen on the standard Versioning toolbar. It is here for convenience.


Published 6/7/2010