The ArcSDE administrative account in PostgreSQL

The ArcSDE administrative user account is responsible for the administration of the following:

• ArcSDE geodatabase system tables, triggers, and procedures
• The ArcSDE service
• Versions

The ArcSDE administrator owns all the ArcSDE geodatabase system files, directories, and tables. For this reason, the ArcSDE administrative account must be created before the geodatabase can be created. The database administrator (DBA) creates the ArcSDE administrator and grants this user the necessary permissions. On Windows installations, this can be accomplished through the Post Installation wizard. On UNIX and Linux, this is done manually, and how it is done depends on the operating system and database management system (DBMS) you are using.

The administrative user in geodatabases stored in PostgreSQL is named sde.

Keep in mind that the ArcSDE administrative user is not the same as the DBA. Although conditions at your site may necessitate that the ArcSDE administrator have DBA-level permissions, this is not required for day-to-day operation of an ArcSDE geodatabase.

The ArcSDE administrative user and schema

It is recommended that the ArcSDE administrator and its schema only be used to manage and store ArcSDE system tables. You should create separate user schemas in which to store your ArcSDE data objects, such as feature classes and raster datasets. You should not store these objects in the ArcSDE administrator’s storage space, since you could possibly crash the ArcSDE service by filling up the ArcSDE administrator’s space. Following the practice of storing only system tables in the ArcSDE administrator's storage space simplifies the management of ArcSDE.

In PostgreSQL, users do not automatically have a schema with the same name as their user name. However, to use PostgreSQL with ArcSDE, your user names must have corresponding default schema names. This applies to the ArcSDE administrator user as well as nonadministrative users.