An overview of importing datasets

You can add datasets to a geodatabase by importing them from other locations or by converting (and importing) them from other data formats.

You can import datasets into a geodatabase in the following ways:

When you import data in formats which are not used by the geodatabase, ArcGIS automatically converts them into types used by the geodatabase. Learn more about how data converts when imported

Importing datasets using ArcCatalog or the Catalog window

To import datasets using the context sensitive menu in the Catalog tree, right-click on the geodatabase and click Import. Choose the type of data you would like to import:

Importing datasets using geoprocessing tools

To import datasets using ArcToolbox open the Conversion Toolbox and navigate to the To Geodatabase toolset. This contains the same tools as those accessed from the context sensitive menu.

Learn more about the To Geodatabase toolset

3/13/2015