An overview of the Conversion toolbox

The Conversion toolbox contains tools that convert data between various formats.

Toolset	Description
From GPS toolset	The GPS toolset contains tools to convert files from GPS receivers to features. GPX is a common file output from GPS handheld collection units.
From KML toolset	The KML toolset contains tools to convert from Keyhole Markup Language (KML) to features in a geodatabase.
From Raster toolset	With the tools in the From Raster toolset, you can convert the information in a raster dataset to a different type of data structure, such as a feature class, or to a different type of file, such as a binary or text file.
From WFS toolset	This toolset provides a tool to convert the features from WFS into a feature class to provide more functionality for those features.
Metadata toolset	All ArcGIS items have a description, which is also referred to as metadata. The Metadata toolset lets you handle metadata for ArcGIS items and stand-alone metadata XML files.
To CAD toolset	Tools in the To CAD toolset convert geodatabase features to native CAD formats. You can use these tools in geoprocessing models and scripts to define your own conversion procedures.
To Collada toolset	COLLADA—which stands for COLLAborative Design Activity—is an open-standard XML format for storing 3D models. It is often used as an interchange format for 3D applications, and is the format for 3D textured objects stored inside KML. COLLADA files have the .dae file extension and can reference additional image files that act as textures draped onto the 3D object. Exporting multipatch features to COLLADA allows the sharing of complex analysis results with others and also provides a mechanism for updating textured 3D GIS data, such as buildings, using third-party software such as SketchUp or 3DS Max.
To Coverage toolset	Coverages combine spatial data and attribute data and store topological associations among features. Spatial data is held in binary files, and attribute and topological data is held in INFO tables.
To dBASE toolset	dBASE tables are used to store attributes that can be joined to shapefile features by an attribute key. The Table to dBASE tool can be used to migrate INFO tables or even other dBASE tables so that they can be used by specific shapefiles.
To Geodatabase toolset	The geodatabase toolset contains tools to convert and write data to a geodatabase.
To KML toolset	Keyhole Markup Language (KML) is an XML-based language provided by Google for defining the graphic display of spatial data in applications such as Google Earth and Google Maps. KML enables these applications to support the open integration of custom data layers from many GIS users.
To Raster toolset	Raster information can be stored in several different data file formats that can be read by ArcGIS. With the To Raster toolset, you can convert these files into raster datasets. There are also tools that allow you to convert different types of feature information into rasters.
To Shapefile toolset	A shapefile is a simple, nontopological format for storing the geometric location and attribute information of geographic features. Geographic features in a shapefile can be represented by points, lines, or polygons (areas).

Table of Conversion toolsets