Exercise 7: Connect as a geodatabase administrator, load data, register it as versioned, and create a version

This topic applies to ArcEditor and ArcInfo only.

Complexity: Beginner Data Requirement: ArcGIS Tutorial Data Setup Goal: Log in as a geodatabase administrator and import a shapefile. Register a feature class as versioned, create a geodatabase version for editing, and assign permissions for the version.

In Exercise 4: Add users and administer their permissions, you granted manager1 administrator permissions to the buildings geodatabase. This allows manager1 to write to the geodatabase and perform certain administrative tasks. You will perform a few of these administrative tasks in Exercise 9: Compress, rebuild indexes, and shrink the geodatabase while logged in as a geodatabase administrator.

In this exercise, you will connect as manager1, import data, register the new data as versioned, and create a public version that editor1 can use to edit the data.

Note:

Only the owner of a dataset can register it as versioned.

Logging in as a geodatabase administrator

Log out of the computer and log back in as manager1.

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 manager1.
4. Type manager.1 in the Password text box.
5. Choose your computer name from the Log on to drop-down list and click OK.

   You are now logged in as manager1.

6. Start ArcMap, open the Catalog window, then expand the Database Servers node in the Catalog tree.
7. You must add the ArcSDE database server because manager1 has not added it yet. For instructions on how to do this, refer to Exercise 1: Add a database server to the Catalog tree and create a geodatabase.

Importing data as manager1

Import the railroads shapefile to the Osokopf geodatabase.

Steps:

1. Connect to the database server in the Catalog window.
2. Right-click the Osokopf geodatabase, point to Import, then click Feature Class (single).
3. Click the browse button to navigate to the data.

   The Input Features dialog box opens.

Since this is the first time manager1 has connected to the database servers tutorial data, you must add a folder connection.
4. Click the Connect To Folder button on the Input Features dialog box.

   The Connect to Folder dialog box opens.

5. Navigate to the DatabaseServers tutorial directory and click OK to add the folder connection.
6. Choose railroads.shp and click Add.
7. Type railroads in the Output Feature Class text box of the Feature Class To Feature Class tool.
8. Click OK.

The Osokopf geodatabase now contains two feature datasets owned by the dbo user, one feature class owned by editor1 and one feature class owned by manager1.

Registering the new feature class as versioned

The changes that will be made to the railroads feature class could take the editor a while to complete. For that reason, you will register the feature class as versioned so the editor can perform versioned edits. Versioned editing allows a user to edit a feature class in isolation from the production version of the feature class and, therefore, does not block the feature class from being accessed by other users.

Steps:

1. Right-click the railroads feature class in the Catalog window and click Register as versioned.

   The Register As Versioned dialog box opens.

2. Leave the Register the selected objects with the option to move edits to base option unchecked and click OK.

Creating a version

When performing versioned edits, you could edit the DEFAULT version of the geodatabase. However, for the purposes of this tutorial, you will create a separate version in which editor1 can perform edits.

Tip:

For an explanation on geodatabase versions and versioned editing, see A quick tour of versioning and its related topics.

Steps:

1. Right-click the Osokopf geodatabase in the Catalog window and click Versions.

   This opens the Version Manager.

Currently, only the DEFAULT version is present. You will create a version from the DEFAULT version.
2. Right-click the DEFAULT version and click New.
3. Type railroadv1 in the Name text box.
4. Type a description for the version.
5. Click Public from the Permission list.
6. Click OK.
This allows editor1 to edit this version. If you instead chose Protected, editor1 could see the version but not edit it. If you chose Private, editor1 would not even be able to access the version.

There are now two versions showing in the Version Manager.

You imported data, registered it as versioned, and created a geodatabase version to which editor1 will connect to edit the data.