Connecting to an ArcSDE geodatabase from the Catalog window

You connect to ArcSDE geodatabases using the Spatial Database Connection dialog box, which you access from the Database Connections node in the Catalog window.

Tip:

For details on the Spatial Database Connection dialog box, see Geodatabase connections in ArcGIS Desktop.

You must have the following information to connect to an ArcSDE geodatabase:

• The DBMS used for the geodatabase
• The name of the DBMS server
• The type of connection you will use: Direct connection or ArcSDE service
• The name of the database that holds the geodatabase (unless the geodatabase is in an Oracle DBMS)
• The login name and password to connect to the geodatabase
• The name of the geodatabase version or historical marker, if one exists

In most cases, your database or GIS administrator will provide you with this information and you will type it into the Spatial Database Connection dialog box.

Once you have the necessary information, follow these steps to create a connection to the geodatabase:

Steps:

1. Expand the Database Connections node in the Catalog window.

   

2. Double-click Add Spatial Database Connection.

   This opens the Spatial Database Connection dialog box.

3. Type the name of the server on which the DBMS is installed in the Server text box.
4. The information you type in the Service text box depends on the type of connection you are making and, if you are making a direct connection, the type of DBMS to which you are connecting. The following table lists the type of connection and the information you type in the Service text box.

   An ArcSDE service connection	Type the ArcSDE service port number; for example, 5151.
   A direct connection to a geodatabase in IBM DB2	sde:db2
   A direct connection to a geodatabase in IBM Informix	sde:informix
   A direct connection to Oracle using an Oracle 10g client	sde:oracle10g:<SQL_Net_alias> The SQL Net alias was set on your computer when the Oracle client was configured on it. If you do not know this value, contact your administrator.
   A direct connection to Oracle using an Oracle 11g client	sde:oracle11g:<SQL_Net_alias>
   A direct connection to a geodatabase in a user's schema in Oracle using an Oracle 10g client	sde:oracle10g:<SQL_Net_alias>:<schema_name> The schema name is the name of the user's schema where the geodatabase is stored.
   A direct connection to a geodatabase in a user's schema in Oracle using an Oracle 11g client	sde:oracle11g:<SQL_Net_alias>:<schema_name>
   A direct connection to a geodatabase in PostgreSQL	sde:postgresql:<server_name> <Server_name> is the name of the server where PostgreSQL is installed and should be the same as what you typed in the Server text box.
   A direct connection to a geodatabase in Microsoft SQL Server	sde:sqlserver:<sql_server_instance> <Sql_server_instance> is the name of the SQL Server instance to which you are connecting. Your administrator should provide you with that information.

5. The string that you enter in the database name text box also depends on the DBMS. The following table lists the information you must provide for each DBMS type.

   DB2	The name or alias of the database
   Informix	The Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) data source name of the database
   Oracle	Leave the database name text box empty.
   PostgreSQL or SQL Server	The name of the database

6. The Account information you provide depends on the type of login you use to connect to the database.
   • If you use a database user to connect, click Database authentication, type the database user name in the Username text box, then type the password for the database user in the Password text box.
   • If you use an operating system login to connect, click Operating system authentication.
7. The information you provide in the Connection details section depends on to which version of the geodatabase you are connecting. If you are connecting to the default version (SDE.default), you do not need to change anything in this section. For details on connecting to a version other than the default, see Connecting to a specific geodatabase version.
8. Click Test Connection to be sure the information you provided is correct and the database is available for connections.
   • If the connection works, click OK to close the Spatial Database Connection dialog box.
   • If the connection does not work, be sure the information in the Spatial Database Connection dialog box is correct. If it is, contact your system administrator for assistance.

A new connection file is created under the Database Connections node in the Catalog tree.

Tip:

You can reopen the Spatial Database Connection dialog box to change the connection information by right-clicking the connection file and clicking Connection Properties.