Direct-connect compatibility between clients and ArcSDE geodatabases in PostgreSQL

Which client and ArcSDE geodatabase versions are compatible for direct connections depends on the releases being used. The following is a table that summarizes which clients and geodatabases are interoperable when using a direct connection to the database:

	9.3.x geodatabase	10 geodatabase
9.3.x client
10 client

Compatibility between ArcGIS clients and geodatabases in PostgreSQL

Connecting from newer clients to older release geodatabases allows you to use the geodatabase without having to upgrade the geodatabase at the same time the clients are upgraded. It also allows you to have mixed client installations at your site. For example, if one department uses a custom application that has not been updated to work with 10, you can keep the geodatabase at the 9.3 release, keep this group of users on a 9.3 client release, and upgrade the clients for the rest of the agency. Be aware, though, that the 10 clients cannot use 10 functionality until the geodatabase has been upgraded to 10.

ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine, and ArcGIS Server 10 include all the direct-connect drivers for you to connect to an ArcSDE 9.3 or 9.3.1 geodatabase in PostgreSQL.

Note:

Connections from a previous version client to a version 10 geodatabase are not supported.

Rules for mixed release connections

Keep the following in mind when deciding whether to use mixed release connections:

• When you make a connection from a newer client to an older ArcSDE geodatabase, you only have access to functionality that is available for the release of your geodatabase. For example, you cannot connect from an ArcGIS 9.3 client to an ArcSDE 9.1 geodatabase in Oracle and create a feature class using ST_Geometry storage because this storage type was not implemented in ArcSDE 9.1. This also applies to C and Java API functionality; if the functionality does not exist in the version of the geodatabase to which you want to connect, you cannot use the newer C or Java API function. The reverse is also true; if an older function is no longer available in a newer release of the geodatabase, the older function cannot be called when executing against a newer release geodatabase.
• When you connect from an ArcGIS 9.2 SP5 or later service pack release client to an ArcSDE 9.3.x geodatabase with either a direct connection or an ArcSDE service, you do not have access to functionality that was newly implemented at 9.3.x. For example, you cannot connect from an ArcGIS 9.2 SP5 client to an ArcSDE 9.3 geodatabase on PostgreSQL or DB2 for z/OS. You also cannot use the Windows pyramid types for terrains that are available in 3D Analyst for ArcGIS 9.3 or create a network dataset that uses global turn delay or network function evaluators, which are available in Network Analyst for ArcGIS 9.3. Additionally, you cannot replicate from an ArcGIS 9.2 geodatabase to a file geodatabase. Similarly, you cannot connect to an ArcSDE 9.3 for SQL Server Express instance using a 9.2 SP5 client and create a geodatabase that has a full-text catalog.
• To connect from an ArcGIS or ArcIMS client to a previous release ArcSDE geodatabase, the geodatabase has to be upgraded to the latest ArcSDE service pack or patch for its release. For example, if you want to connect from ArcGIS Desktop 10 to an ArcSDE 9.3 geodatabase, you must apply the most recent 9.3 service pack or patch to the geodatabase.