Moving or copying a mosaic dataset

The easiest way to move a mosaic dataset is by creating a copy. After you verify that copying occurred correctly, you can delete the original.

There are several methods to create a copy of a mosaic dataset:

• use the copy and paste capabilities in the Catalog window,
• use the Copy tool,
• or drag and drop a mosaic dataset from one geodatabase to another—this makes a copy; it doesn't move the dataset.

Using these methods will copy all the contents within the mosaic dataset to the new location, including the footprints, the boundary, and so on. By default, the overviews and the cache (used with lidar data) are created outside the mosaic dataset's geodatabase; therefore, they will not be copied along with the mosaic dataset.

If you copy a mosaic dataset stored in an ArcSDE geodatabase, and the overviews were stored in the default location (within the ArcSDE geodatabase), the overviews will be moved along with the mosaic dataset.

Tip:

Any mosaic datasets that were created in ArcGIS version 10 should be moved to a current file geodatabase. A current geodatabase uses out-of-line storage, which will reduce database inflation. To achieve this, copy your 10.0 mosaic dataset and paste it into a new file geodatabase.

Caution:

You should not use the Copy Raster tool to copy a mosaic dataset. If you do, all of the individual layers in the mosaic will essentially be flatted down into a single raster layer output.

Update paths in the mosaic dataset

Since mosaic datasets contain references to their source data, the overviews, and the cache, these paths are not altered by the copy operation.

When you move or copy your mosaic dataset to another computer, if the paths to the source rasters have changed, you will have to update the paths. If the mosaic dataset is moved or copied within the same computer, the paths are likely the same and will not be affected.

If the overviews were created in the default location, next to the geodatabase folder, and they are moved to the same default location, then the path will not need to be updated. If the overviews remain in the same location, and this is visible to the mosaic dataset, then the paths will not need to be updated. If the mosaic dataset cannot access the overviews, or the overviews were moved, the path to the overviews needs to be updated.

If you have lidar data in the mosaic dataset, a cache was likely generated. The cache will regenerate if it doesn't exist in the expected location or it is out of date. If you move the cache and you want to continue to use it, then you must update the path in the mosaic dataset.

Learn about updating paths used in a mosaic dataset