DBMS data types supported in ArcGIS
When you create a table or add a column to a table in the database, columns are created as a specific data type. Data types are classifications that identify possible values for and operations that can be done on the data, as well as the way the data in that column is stored in the database.
When you access database tables from ArcGIS, you can work with specific data types. When accessing the database table through the Database Connections node in the Catalog tree or through a query layer in ArcMap, ArcGIS filters out any unsupported data types. If you access your database table directly, unsupported data types won't be displayed in the ArcGIS interface and you cannot edit them through ArcGIS. Similarly, when you copy tables containing unsupported data types with ArcGIS, it will only copy the supported data types; when you paste the table to another database or a geodatabase, the unsupported data type columns will not be present.
The following tables list which database data types correspond to which ArcGIS data types for each supported DBMS. The first column lists the data types as they appear in ArcGIS. The second column lists what data type gets created in the database when you create a table or feature class in ArcGIS with the data type shown in the first column. The third column lists other database data types that get mapped to the ArcGIS data type shown in the first column if you create the table outside ArcGIS.
IBM DB2
|
ArcGIS data types |
DB2 data types created | Other DB2 data types that can be viewed |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
BLOB |
BLOB | ||
|
DATE |
TIMESTAMP | ||
|
DOUBLE |
DECIMAL(p,s) | The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
|
FLOAT |
DECIMAL(p,s) | The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
|
GEOMETRY |
ST_GEOMETRY | ST_Geometry is a superclass. The actual data subtype created (such as ST_Multilinestring or ST_Point) depends on what type of feature class you create, whether polygon, line, point, multipoint, or multipatch. |
|
|
GUID |
CHAR(UUID LEN) | ||
|
LONG INTEGER |
INTEGER | ||
|
OBJECTID |
CHARACTER(38) when created in enterprise geodatabases INTEGER with IDENTITY property when created in a database | The ArcGIS type ObjectID is the registered row ID column for the table (or feature class.) Only one may exist per table. For tables created outside ArcGIS, columns are interpreted as ObjectID only after being registered with the geodatabase. |
|
|
RASTER |
BLOB | Only supported in enterprise geodatabases |
|
|
SHORT INTEGER |
SMALLINT | ||
|
TEXT |
VARCHAR | CHAR |
Informix
|
ArcGIS data types |
Informix data types created | Other Informix data types that can be viewed |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
BLOB |
BLOB | ||
|
DATE |
DATETIME | ||
|
DOUBLE |
DECIMAL(31,8) | The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
|
FLOAT |
DECIMAL(31,8) | The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
|
GEOMETRY |
ST_GEOMETRY | ST_Geometry is a superclass. The actual data subtype created (such as ST_Multilinestring or ST_Point) depends on what type of feature class you create, whether polygon, line, point, multipoint, or multipatch. |
|
|
GUID |
CHAR(UUID LEN) | ||
|
LONG INTEGER |
INTEGER | ||
|
OBJECTID |
CHARACTER(38) when created in an enterprise geodatabase SERIAL when created in a database | The ArcGIS type ObjectID is the registered row ID column for the table (or feature class.) Only one may exist per table. For tables created outside ArcGIS, columns are interpreted as ObjectID only after being registered with the geodatabase. |
|
|
RASTER |
BLOB | Only supported in enterprise geodatabases |
|
|
SHORT INTEGER |
SMALLINT | ||
|
TEXT |
VARCHAR | CHAR |
Microsoft SQL Server
|
ArcGIS data types |
SQL Server data types created | Other SQL Server data types that can be viewed |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
BLOB |
VARBINARY(MAX) | BINARY, IMAGE, TIMESTAMP, VARBINARY(n) |
|
|
DATE |
DATETIME2(7) | DATETIME2(n), DATETIME, SMALLDATETIME |
|
|
DOUBLE |
NUMERIC(p,s) | DECIMAL, FLOAT, MONEY, SMALLMONEY |
The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
FLOAT |
NUMERIC(p,s) | REAL |
The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
GEOMETRY |
INT, GEOMETRY, GEOGRAPHY | In an enterprise geodatabase, the SQL Server data type that is created depends on the GEOMETRY_STORAGE parameter of the DBTUNE configuration keyword used when the feature class was created. SDEBINARY = INT; GEOMETRY = a GEOMETRY column; GEOGRAPHY = a GEOGRAPHY column. In a database, you specify whether to use GEOMETRY or GEOGRAPHY when the feature class is created. |
|
|
GUID |
UNIQUEIDENTIFIER | ||
|
LONG INTEGER |
INT | ||
|
RASTER |
INT, ST_RASTER |
Raster data types are only supported in enterprise geodatabases, and the SQL Server data type that is created depends on the DBTUNE configuration keyword used when the raster column is created. If the keyword's RASTER_STORAGE parameter is set to BINARY, an INT column is created; if set to ST_RASTER, an ST_Raster column is created. You must separately configure ST_Raster in the geodatabase if you want to use it. See Installing the ST_Raster type in SQL Server for instructions. |
|
|
OBJECTID |
INT(4) when created in an enterprise geodatabase INTEGER with IDENTITY property when created in a database | The ArcGIS type ObjectID is the registered row ID column for the table (or feature class.) Only one may exist per table. For tables created outside ArcGIS, columns are interpreted as ObjectID only after being registered with the geodatabase. |
|
|
SHORT INTEGER |
SMALLINT | BIT, TINYINT |
|
|
TEXT |
VARCHAR, NVARCHAR, VARCHAR(MAX), NVARCHAR(MAX) | CHAR, NCHAR, NTEXT |
If you create a VARCHAR or VARCHAR(MAX) field in a SQL Server database, it will be mapped to the ArcGIS TEXT data type when viewed in ArcGIS. If you create a TEXT field in a SQL Server database from ArcGIS, either NVARCHAR or NVARCHAR(MAX) is always used. In an enterprise geodatabase, if the DBTUNE UNICODE_STORAGE parameter is set to FALSE in an enterprise geodatabase, and the text field is 7,999 characters or fewer, VARCHAR is used. If the DBTUNE UNICODE_STORAGE parameter in an enterprise geodatabase is set to TRUE, and the text field is 3,999 characters, NVARCHAR is used. If the DBTUNE UNICODE_STORAGE parameter is set to FALSE in an enterprise geodatabase, and the text field is 8,000 characters or more, VARCHAR(MAX) is used. If the DBTUNE UNICODE_STORAGE parameter in an enterprise geodatabase is set to TRUE, and the text field is 4,000 characters or more, NVARCHAR(MAX) is used. |
Netezza
ArcGIS data types | Netezza data types created | Other Netezza data types that can be viewed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
BLOB | Not supported | ||
DATE | TIMESTAMP | DATE, TIME, TIME WITH TIME ZONE | |
DOUBLE | NUMERIC(38,8) | BIGINT (alias int8), NUMERIC(p,s), FLOAT(p), REAL, DOUBLE PRECISION | The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. |
FLOAT | FLOAT(p) | The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. | |
GEOMETRY | VARCHAR(n) | This field must be named shape for ArcGIS to recognize it as a spatial column. | |
GUID | CHAR(38) | ||
LONG INTEGER | INTEGER (alias int or int4) | ||
OBJECTID | INTEGER (alias int or int4) | ||
SHORT INTEGER | SMALLINT (alias int2) | ||
TEXT | NVARCHAR(50) | CHAR(n), NCHAR(n), VARCHAR(n) | If your database is set for Unicode encoding, NVARCHAR will be created. If your database is not set for Unicode encoding, VARCHAR will be created. |
Oracle
|
ArcGIS data types |
Oracle data types created | Other Oracle data types that can be viewed |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
BLOB |
BLOB | ||
|
DATE |
DATE | ||
|
DOUBLE |
DECIMAL(31,8) | DECIMAL(p,s) |
The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
FLOAT | DECIMAL(31,8) | DECIMAL(p,s) | The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
GEOMETRY |
ST_GEOMETRY NUMBER(38) or SDO_GEOMETRY | Oracle data type depends on the geometry storage specified when the feature class is created. Compressed binary or well-known binary (enterprise geodatabases only) = NUMBER(38); Oracle Spatial = SDO_GEOMETRY; spatial type = ST_GEOMETRY. ST_Geometry is a superclass. When you create feature classes in ArcGIS for Desktop, ST_Geometry is always used. If you create a spatial column using SQL, the actual data subtype created (such as ST_Multilinestring or ST_Point) depends on what subtype you specify. To use ST_Geometry in a database, you must install it. See Adding the ST_Geometry type to an Oracle database for information. |
|
|
GUID or Global ID |
CHAR or NCHAR (UUID LEN) |
The unique identifier field will be created as NCHAR in an enterprise geodatabase if the configuration keyword with which you specified the table's creation had the parameter UNICODE_STRING set to TRUE. |
|
|
LONG INTEGER |
NUMBER(38) | NUMBER(n) |
The value n can be in the range of 5 to 10. If created with ArcGIS for Desktop or ArcObjects and precision is set to 0, a NUMBER(38) is created in the database. Otherwise, the precision specified is used. |
|
OBJECTID |
NUMBER(38) when created in an enterprise geodatabase NUMBER(38) with sequence and trigger when created in a database |
The ArcGIS type ObjectID is the registered row ID column for the table (or feature class.) Only one may exist per table. For tables created outside ArcGIS, columns are interpreted as ObjectID only after being registered with the geodatabase. |
|
|
RASTER |
BLOB, LONG RAW, SDO_GEORASTER, or ST_RASTER |
Rasters are only supported in enterprise geodatabases, and which Oracle data type is created depends on the DBTUNE configuration keyword used when creating the raster catalog, raster dataset, or mosaic dataset. |
|
|
SHORT INTEGER |
NUMBER(5) | NUMBER(n) |
The value n can be in the range of 1 to 5. However, short integer columns can only store values that fall in the range -32,768 to 32,767. Even if the precision on the number is 5, you cannot store a number greater than 32,767 or less than -32,768 in a short integer column. When created with ArcGIS for Desktop, n = 5. This allows you to store short integers that fall within the allowable range. |
|
TEXT |
VARCHAR2, CLOB, NVARCHAR2, or NCLOB | A VARCHAR2 field is created if the database is not set to use Unicode encoding. If you set the text field size larger than 4,000 and the database is set to use Unicode encoding, the Oracle data type will be CLOB. The field will be created as NVARCHAR2 if the database is set to use Unicode encoding. (This is the default setting for enterprise geodatabases in Oracle.) If you set the text field size larger than 2,000 and the database is set to use Unicode encoding, the Oracle data type will be NCLOB. |
PostgreSQL
|
ArcGIS data types |
PostgreSQL data types created | Other PostgreSQL data types that can be viewed |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
BLOB |
BYTEA |
||
|
DATE |
TIMESTAMP WITHOUT ZONE |
TIMESTAMP | |
|
DOUBLE |
NUMERIC(p) |
BIG SERIAL, DOUBLE PRECISION | The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
FLOAT |
NUMERIC(p) |
The precision and scale specified in ArcGIS can affect the resultant data type created in the database. See ArcGIS field data types for more information. |
|
|
GEOMETRY |
ST_GEOMETRY or GEOMETRY |
In an enterprise geodatabase, the GEOEMTRY_STORAGE setting of the configuration keyword used when creating the feature class determines which data type is created in the database. ST_Geometry and geometry are superclasses. When creating feature classes in ArcGIS for Desktop, point feature classes created as ST_Geometry use the ST_Point subtype and point feature classes created as PostGIS geometry use the Point subtype for storage. For all other types of feature classes created in ArcGIS for Desktop, the superclass is used. If you create spatial columns using SQL, the actual data subtype created depends on what type of subtype you specify. To use ST_Geometry in a database, you must install it. See Adding the ST_Geometry type to a PostgreSQL database for information. To use the PostGIS geometry type, you must install PostGIS in your PostgreSQL database cluster, and the database itself must be enabled to use PostGIS. See your PostgreSQL documentation for more information. |
|
|
GUID |
VARCHAR(38) |
||
|
LONG INTEGER |
INTEGER |
SERIAL | |
|
OBJECTID |
INTEGER in a geodatabase SERIAL in a database |
The ArcGIS type ObjectID is the registered row ID column for the table (or feature class). Only one may exist per table. For tables created outside ArcGIS, columns are interpreted as ObjectID only after being registered with the geodatabase. |
|
|
RASTER |
BYTEA or ST_RASTER |
Rasters are supported only in enterprise geodatabases, and which PostgreSQL data type is created depends on the DBTUNE configuration keyword used when creating the raster catalog, raster dataset, or mosaic dataset. You must separately configure ST_Raster in the geodatabase if you want to use it. See Installing the ST_Raster type in PostgreSQL for instructions. |
|
|
SHORT INTEGER |
SMALLINT |
REAL | |
|
TEXT |
CHARACTER VARYING |
CHARACTER, VARCHAR, TEXT |