Alter the schema of a database table

You can use ArcGIS to add a field to, drop a field from, or rename fields in tables that you own in the database.

To do this, connect to the database from ArcGIS for Desktop as the owner of the table and open the table properties (for nonspatial tables) or feature class properties (for spatial tables).

Steps:

1. Start ArcCatalog or ArcMap and open the Catalog window.
2. Connect to the database that contains the table you want to alter.

   Be sure to connect as the table owner.

3. Right-click the table and click Properties.
4. Click the Fields tab.
5. Alter the schema by doing one of the following:
   • If you want to delete a field, choose it from the list of fields and press DELETE. All data stored in this field is lost when you delete the field.
   • If you want to add a field, type a name for the field in the next available line under Field Name, click in the corresponding Data Type field to choose what type of data you want the field to store, then alter Field Properties as necessary.
   • If you want to rename a field, click on the existing text in the Field Name column and type a new name.

   Field names should not contain spaces or nonalphanumeric characters. Field names cannot exceed 31 bytes in most databases; 30 bytes in Oracle and IBM DB2 databases.

   Tip:

   If your table is in ArcMap, follow the steps described in Adding fields to add a field to your table.

6. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.