Exercise 6: Restore a geodatabase

This topic applies to ArcEditor and ArcInfo only.

Complexity: Beginner Data Requirement: ArcGIS Tutorial Data Setup Goal: Connect as a database server administrator and restore a geodatabase to a database server.

As a result of soil studies in the area, it was determined unsafe to build the new school across from Wspolnoty Park. To return the schools feature class to its preedited state, restore the buildings geodatabase.

You must be connected as a database server administrator to restore a geodatabase.

Logging in as a database server administrator

Log off of the computer and log back in with your regular Windows login.

Steps:

1. Click the Start button on the Windows task bar and click Log off.
2. If prompted, confirm you want to log off by clicking Log Off on the Log Off Windows dialog box.
3. When the login dialog box appears, change the user name to your local or domain login name.
4. Type your password in the Password text box.
5. Choose your computer name (if connecting as a local user) or your domain name from the Log on to drop-down list.
6. Click OK.

Viewing the current state of the buildings geodatabase

To see what the schools feature class looks like now, open it in ArcMap.

Steps:

1. In the Catalog window, expand the buildings geodatabase.
2. Click the schools feature class and drag it into the ArcMap table of contents.
3. Click Selection on the ArcMap Main menu and click Select By Attributes.
4. Choose schools from the Layers drop-down list.
5. Double-click "sch_name" in the list of attributes.
6. Click the equals sign (=) button.
7. Click Get Unique Values.
8. Double-click "Wspolnoty".
9. Click OK to make the selection.

   The new school is highlighted.

Restoring the buildings geodatabase

Since the edits to the schools feature class have already been saved to the geodatabase but no other edits have been made since the geodatabase was created, you can restore the geodatabase from the backup file you created at the end of Exercise 4: Add users and administer their permissions.

Before you can restore the geodatabase, you must disconnect from the database server to clear your connection to the buildings geodatabase.

Caution:

You cannot restore a geodatabase if there are any active connections to it. Therefore, if you do not disconnect from the database server, the restore operation will fail.

Steps:

1. Close ArcMap.
2. Start ArcCatalog by clicking Start > All Programs > ArcGIS > ArcCatalog 10.
3. Expand the Database Servers node in the Catalog tree.
4. Double-click your database server to connect to it, but do not connect to any of the geodatabases.
5. Right-click the database server and click Restore.
6. Click the ellipsis button next to the Backup file text box.
7. Browse to the location of your buildings_bu2 backup file.

   This should be the DatabaseServers folder in the ArcTutor directory.

8. The Restore to folder text box is automatically populated with the current location of the buildings geodatabase. Leave this location; you will restore over the top of the existing geodatabase.
9. Click OK to restore the geodatabase.
You will be prompted to confirm that you are overwriting the geodatabase.
10. Click Yes to continue.

Note:

If you were connected to the buildings geodatabase, you will receive an error message stating the geodatabase could not be restored because exclusive access could not be obtained. If this happens, close the message, disconnect from the database server, reconnect, and attempt the restore operation again. If it still fails, you may need to close ArcCatalog and reopen it to release the lock on the geodatabase.

Previewing the restored geodatabase

To make sure the geodatabase was restored, preview the schools feature class to make sure the Wspolnoty school is no longer there.

Steps:

1. Expand the buildings geodatabase.
2. Click the schools feature class.
3. Click the Preview tab.

   You can see the schools feature class is back to its preedited state.

To return the data to an earlier state, you restored over the top of the buildings geodatabase.