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Configuration keywords for ArcSDE geodatabases

Configuration keywords for ArcSDE geodatabases

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NOTE: ArcSDE geodatabases licensed with ArcGIS Server Enterprise only

There are many more options for configuration keywords in an ArcSDE geodatabase licensed with ArcGIS Server Enterprise than in a file geodatabase. The configuration keywords that exist by default in the DBTUNE table of the geodatabase vary depending on what type of database management system (DBMS) you are using to store the data.

What are configuration keywords?

Configuration keywords in the DBTUNE table consist of the keyword itself, such as TOPOLOGY_DEFAULTS, and the group of parameters and parameter values associated with the keyword. In the DBTUNE table, the parameter values are config_strings. Below is a portion of the DBTUNE table in a SQL Server database, showing some of the TOPOLOGY_DEFAULTS parameters and their values.

DBTUNE table entries

How are configuration keywords used?

By grouping together a set of parameters and values, configuration keywords let you designate one keyword that affects multiple storage options of a particular dataset.

The ArcSDE administrator can alter the parameter values to change the way different components of a feature class or raster dataset are stored. For example, for ArcSDE for DB2, the values for the business table and delta table parameters under the DEFAULTS configuration keyword may specify that they be stored in different table spaces. The following example shows part of the DEFAULTS configuration keyword parameter list as it is seen in the dbtune.sde file. In this example, the business table is stored in the table space FEATS, and the delta tables are stored in the table space VERSIONS.

##DEFAULTS
B_STORAGE	"IN FEATS INDEX IN FEATSIDX LONG IN FEATSLONG"
A_STORAGE	"IN VERSIONS INDEX IN VERSIONSIDX LONG IN VERSIONSL"
D_STORAGE	"IN VERSIONS INDEX IN VERSIONSIDX LONG IN VERSIONSL"

Learn more about the dbtune file and table.

It is also possible for the ArcSDE administrator to create custom configuration keywords. The ArcSDE administrator is responsible for making sure the necessary configuration keywords exist in the DBTUNE table and are available for use in ArcGIS Desktop. Your ArcSDE administrator can tell you if any custom configuration keywords are available and, if so, when you should use them.

To learn more about custom configuration keywords, see the "Custom configuration keywords" section of the topic DBTUNE configuration keywords.

Not all the configuration keywords used by the system are exposed for use in the ArcGIS Desktop interface. For some configuration keywords—such as the DATA_DICTIONARY keyword, which specifies the storage location of ArcSDE repository tables—there is no reason for you to ever choose them in the ArcGIS Desktop interface.

Learn more about how the ArcSDE administrator makes configuration keywords available in ArcGIS Desktop.

What configuration keyword should you use?

In most cases, the DEFAULTS configuration keyword is sufficient. The ArcSDE administrator should have made any necessary changes to the parameter values of the DEFAULTS configuration keyword so that it reflects the configuration needed the majority of the time.

There may be special circumstances in which you choose a configuration keyword other than the DEFAULTS when creating or importing data. Some suggested scenarios are offered in the following sections.

Geometry storage configuration keywords

All geodatabases store geometry (hence the geo in geodatabase). Each DBMS product used for ArcSDE geodatabases provides specific geometry storage mechanisms. For DB2 DBMSs, geometry is stored using the Spatial Extender. In Informix DBMSs, geometry is stored using the Spatial DataBlade. Oracle, SQL Server, and PostgreSQL DBMSs allow you to choose from different geometry storage options.

For SQL Server databases, you can use either ArcSDE Compressed Binary (the default); the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC), Well-Known Binary (WKB) storage method; or Microsoft's geometry or geography spatial types. For Oracle databases, you can use either ArcSDE Compressed Binary, OGC Well-Known Binary, the spatial type for Oracle, or Oracle Spatial. For PostgreSQL, you can use the spatial type for PostgreSQL or the PostGIS geometry type.

You can see a summary of the geometry storage types in the topic About geometry storage types.

The configuration keywords associated with each of these storage types are as follows:


Configuration keyword Geometry storage
WKB_GEOMETRY OGC Well-Known Binary type
SDELOB ArcSDE Compressed Binary stored as a binary large object (BLOB)
SDEBINARY ArcSDE Compressed Binary
ST_GEOMETRY Spatial type for Oracle or PostgreSQL
SDO_GEOMETRY Oracle Spatial (including GeoRaster)
PG_GEOMETRY PostGIS geometry type
GEOMETRY Microsoft geometry type
GEOGRAPHY Microsoft geography type

The ArcSDE administrator will have set the DEFAULTS geometry storage to the type you will use for most datasets. You might specify a different geometry storage configuration keyword and, therefore, use a different geometry storage type for data in the following situations:

Network configuration keywords

Network configuration keywords are used when you create networks.

Network configuration keywords are composite configuration keywords—three separate network keywords that work together to store tables from the same network class in different places. The network keywords present by default are

NETWORK_DEFAULTS
NETWORK_DEFAULTS::DESC
NETWORK_DEFAULTS::NETWORK

Learn more about composite configuration keywords.

If you do not specify a configuration keyword for your network, the NETWORK_DEFAULTS keywords are used to define the storage for your network.

If you want to create a network class, the components of which you want to store using values different from the default values, create your own set of network keywords. For example, if you are going to create a network for your bus routes that you expect to be much larger than the networks for your rivers and railroads, the ArcSDE administrator could create a set of network configuration keywords to store the bus routes network in a different location in your geodatabase. The ArcSDE administrator could create keywords with the following names:

NETWORK_BUS
NETWORK_BUS::DESC
NETWORK_BUS::NETWORK

For each of these keywords, the administrator could specify config_string values different from those in the NETWORK_DEFAULTS keywords.

If NETWORK_DEFAULTS has


Keyword Parameter_name Cconfig_string
NETWORK_DEFAULTS A_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE CITY
NETWORK_DEFAULTS D_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE CITY

NETWORK_BUS could have


Keyword Parameter_name Config_string
NETWORK_BUS A_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE BUS
NETWORK_BUS D_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE BUS

If NETWORK_DEFAULTS::DESC is set this way


Keyword Parameter_name Config_string
NETWORK_DEFAULTS::DESC A_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE CITY
NETWORK_DEFAULTS::DESC D_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE CITY

NETWORK_BUS::DESC could have these settings


Keyword Parameter_name Config_string
NETWORK_BUS::DEFAULTS A_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE BUS
NETWORK_BUS::DEFAULTS D_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE BUS

Finally, if NETWORK_DEFAULTS::NETWORK had these parameter values


Keyword Parameter_name Config_string
NETWORK_DEFAULTS::NETWORK A_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE CITY
NETWORK_DEFAULTS::NETWORK D_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE CITY

NETWORK_BUS::NETWORK could have these parameter values


keyword parameter_name config_string
NETWORK_BUS::NETWORK A_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE BUS
NETWORK_BUS::NETWORK D_STORAGE PCTFREE 0 INITRANS 4 TABLESPACE BUS

Topology configuration keywords

Whenever you create a topology, a topology configuration keyword is used to control the storage of the topology tables.

Topology configuration keywords are composite keywords. The default TOPOLOGY composite keywords are

TOPOLOGY_DEFAULTS
TOPOLOGY_DEFAULTS::DIRTYAREAS

TOPOLOGY_DEFAULTS::DIRTYAREAS designates storage for the DIRTYAREAS topology table.

Learn more about composite configuration keywords.

Learn more about topology.

If you do not choose a different topology keyword when you create a topology, the TOPOLOGY_DEFAULTS and TOPOLOGY_DEFAULTS::DIRTYAREAS keywords are used to designate the storage of your topology tables.

To use a topology keyword other than the default, the ArcSDE administrator creates new topology keywords that designate different storage parameters from those in the defaults.

This process is described in the following example:

See Also

  • An overview of configuration keywords and how they are used