Adding and viewing tables in ArcMap
Release 9.2 Last modified December 18, 2007

About adding and viewing tables in ArcMap

You can add a table to ArcMap the same way as you would add other data to your map.
Since tables that do not have associated features do not appear on the Display tab of the ArcMap table of contents, you'll need to click the Source tab at the bottom of the ArcMap table of contents to see the table and open it.

To explore the attributes of a layer on a map, open its attribute table to select features and find features with particular attributes.

You can open more than one table at a time. For example, you can view an attribute table for administrative boundaries and, at the same, view the attribute table for cities.

Looking at tabular data in ArcMap

When you work with tabular data in ArcGIS, your table may appear differently depending on which application you're using and the tasks you're performing.

When viewing your tabular data in the table window or many other dialog boxes in ArcMap, you can see a more user-friendly and customized version of your table. You will see any aliases, such as "Property ID" rather than "PROPERTY_I." You can also hide fields you don't want to see in the table, such as the SHAPE, SHAPE_AREA, or SHAPE_LENGTH fields.



See what a table looks like in ArcCatalog
Learn more about field aliases and customizing how a table appears in ArcMap
Learn more about creating a new table

How to add and view tables in ArcMap

Adding tables to ArcMap

1. Click the Add Data button .
   


2. Click the Look in drop-down arrow and navigate to the layer or table you want to add.
   


3. Click the layer or table and click Add.
   

Attribute tables for feature layers are automatically loaded when the layer is added to the map. Tables without associated features only show up on the Source tab of the ArcMap table of contents.

Viewing tables in ArcMap

1. To view the attribute table for a feature layer, right-click the layer in the ArcMap table of contents and click Open Attribute Table.
   
2. To view a table, click the Source tab in the ArcMap table of contents, then right-click the table and click Open.
   

Tips

You can use Ctrl + T to open or minimize the attribute table of the selected layer or table in the table of contents. Ctrl + double-click a layer or table in the table of contents also opens the table. To see a complete list of shortcuts, see Keyboard shortcuts for working with tables. When working with tables stored in databases, many people can view and edit a table's contents at the same time. If the values in the table you're previewing could be changing, you may want to reload the table's contents periodically to ensure you're seeing the most current values. Click Options at the bottom of the table, and click Reload Cache to refresh the table's values.

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