Geoprocessing tool reference > Data Management toolbox > Joins toolset
An overview of the Joins toolset |
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Release 9.2
Last modified October 31, 2007 |
Print all topics in : "Joins toolset" |
Data comes from a variety of sources. Often, the data you want to use is not stored in a single, convenient data format. For instance, you might obtain data from other departments in your organization, purchase commercially available data, or download data from the Internet. If this information is stored in a table, such as a dBASE, INFO, or geodatabase table, you can join it with your geographic features for additional tasks. A join is performed on a layer or a table view, is temporary, and lasts only for the duration of a session.
Often database design guidelines promote organizing your database into multiple tables—each focused on a specific topic—instead of one large table containing all the necessary fields. This scheme prevents duplicate information in the database because you store the information only once in a table. When you need information that isn't in the current table, you can join the two tables together.
The following table lists the tools available in the Joins toolset and provides a brief description of each.
NOTE: Tool availability is determined by the ArcGIS license. Licensing requirements for each tool are listed below.
| Tool | Description |
| Add Join | Appends the contents of a table to a layer or table view based on a common field. Available with any ArcGIS license. |
| Remove Join | Removes a join on a feature layer or table view. Available with any ArcGIS license. |