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  1. How do I connect to the City of Tucson GIS Geodatabase in 10.1 (VECTORSDE)?
  2. How do I connect to VECTORSDE if I still have ArcGIS 10?
  3. How do I access the the orthophotos in 10.1 (RASTERSDE)?
  4. How do I connect to the Tucson Water GIS database in 10.1 (EMAPDB)?
  5. How do I change my license level (software product) in ArcGIS?
  6. How can I find out the installed version and service pack?
  7. How do I connect to or change the ArcGIS license server?
  8. How do I create a SQL Server alias?
  9. ArcMap randomly crashes.
  10. When I open ArcMap, it tells me that all licenses are currently in use.
  11. How do I install the Tucson Water font?
  12. When I open an MXD, I see a bunch of smiley faces for valves and other odd symbols.
  13. How do I get rid of the red exclamation marks next to the layer name in ArcMap?
  14. How do I get access to the PCLIS data on MARS?
  15. How do I edit an unversioned feature class/table?
  16. Why does ArcMap take a LONG time to open or HANGS/CRASHES on startup?
  17. Why does ArcCatalog take a LONG time to open or close?
  18. What is the minimum required metadata?
  19. How do I use the ArcCatalog Set Data Source(s) tool?
  20. How do I connect to an ArcGIS Server map service?
  21. How do I fix a corrupted MXD?
  22. How do I quickly search for data layers?
  23. How do I change layer connection properties?
  24. ArcMap is SLOW.  How can I improve performance?
  25. How do I export layers to a new MXD?
  26. How do I access the technical workshops proceedings from the ESRI User Conference?
  27. Where can I find the City's Access and Use Constraints?
  28. Error appears when trying to save edits in ArcMap?
  29. What do I do if eMap does not load?
  30. For More Information

 

How do I connect to the City of Tucson GIS Geodatabase in 10.1?

Solution: Follow the directions below to create a connection in ArcCatalog

  1. Open ArcCatalog
  2. Double-click on 'Add Database Connection' under the Database Connections folder
     
     
  3. Enter the following connection parameters
    • Database Platform=SQL Server
    • Instance=PW-SQL2005
    • Authentication Type: Database authentication
    • Username=your novell login
    • Password=As assigned by the GIS database administrator or contact the Help Desk ***Please note this is only available to City of Tucson Employees***
    • Database: vectorsde
  4. Cick OK
  5. This connection can be used to drag 'n' drop data into ArcMap or it can be accessed from the 'Add Data' button in ArcMap.

    Discussion: This above directions will connect the user to a geodatabase with polygon, line and point data from the City and external sources such as Pima County.

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What if I still have ArcGIS 10?

 1. In ArcCatalog click on 'Add Spatial Database Connection'

 2. Enter the following connection parameters:

service:  sde:sqlserver:pw-sql2005

database: vectorsde or rastersde

3. Click "Test Connection" and OK if "connection has succeded"

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How do I access the City's orthophotos in 10.1?

Solution: Follow the directions below to create a connection in ArcCatalog

  1. Open ArcCatalog

  2. Double-click on 'Add Database Connection' under the Database Connections folder 

  3. Enter the following connection parameters

    • Database Platform=SQL Server
    • Instance=PW-SQL2005
    • Authentication Type: Database authentication
    • Username=your novell login
    • Password=As assigned by the GIS database administrator or contact the Help Desk ***Please note this is only available to City of Tucson Employees***
    • Database=rastersde
  4. Cick OK
  5. This connection can be used to drag 'n' drop orthophotos into ArcMap or it can be accessed from the 'Add Data' button in ArcMap.

Discussion: This above directions will connect the user to a geodatabase with several years worth of orthophotos, DEMS and Hillshades.

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How do I connect to the Tucson Water GIS database in 10.1?

Solution: Follow the directions below to create a connection in ArcCatalog

  1. Open ArcCatalog
  2. Under the Geoprocessing menu, select ArcToolbox
  3. Open the Data Management Toolbox.
  4. Open the Workspace toolset.
  5. Double click the "Create ArcSDE Connection File" to initiate the tool wizard.  If you don't see the tool, change your license level from ArcView to ArcEditor or ArcInfo.

     
  6. Enter the following connection parameters

  • File location=c:\Documents and Settings\**login name**\application data\esri\Desktop10.1\ArcCatalog or any other location you choose
  • File Name=emapdb.sde
  • Server=LE8-GDB-2003
  • Service=5252
  • Username=your novell login
  • Password=As assigned by the GIS database administrator or contact the Help Desk ***Please note this is only available to City of Tucson Employees***
  1. Cick OK
  2. This connection can be used to drag 'n' drop layers into ArcMap or it can be accessed from the 'Add Data' button in ArcMap.

    Discussion: Read-only users have access to the GIS database called EMAPDB (5252). GIS editors requires a separate login and connection to VMDB10G. Every Saturday, EMAPDB is refreshed with the updates that were added to VMDB10G during previous week. EMAPDB is also the database that hosts the data seen in the eMap application.

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How do I change my license level (software product) in ArcGIS?

Solution: Close ArcMap and ArcCatalog. In the bottom right corner of the desktop right click on the green box with the key  or the blue circle with white trim and choose "Set ArcGIS License Level."  If you do not see the icon, click on the double arrows << to expand the icon tray.  If you still do not see the icon, try Start...Programs...OpenLM...Agent...Start OpenLM Agent.  Select the desired license level and click OK.  This method of selecting the license level replaces the ArcGIS Desktop administrator method.



Discussion: The City of Tucson has several licenses at various levels: ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo (Professional). ArcView provides data visualization, query, analysis, and integration capabilities along with the ability to create and edit simple geographic features. ArcEditor includes all the functionality of ArcView and adds a comprehensive set of tools to create, edit, and ensure the quality of your data. ArcInfo includes all the functionality of ArcEditor and adds advanced spatial analysis, data manipulation, and high-end cartography tools.

At a minimum, the geodatabase editors require ArcEditor. While we have an unlimited number of licenses available to us, please use only when the  functionality your task requires - our next license agreement with ESRI will be based on how many and what kind of licenses we have used - we don't want to pay for more than we need.

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How can I find out the installed version and service pack?

Solution:  Close ArcMap and ArcCatalog.  Go to Start...Programs...ArcGIS...ArcGIS Administrator.  On the right hand side, you will find the version listed next to the header Product Name and the service pack listed next to the header ArcGIS Service Pack.

Discussion:  Do not use the build number found under the About... menu.

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How do I connect to or change the ArcGIS license server?

Solution:  Follow the directions below

1.  Close ArcMap and ArcCatalog.

2.  Go to Start...Programs...ArcGIS...ArcGIS Administrator.

3.  On the left hand side, select the Desktop folder

4.  On the right hand side, click on the Change... button next to the license manager name.

5.  Type in the license server name vmgislicserver.ci.tucson.az.us

6.  Click OK to close the License Manager dialog box.

7.  Click OK again to close the ArcGIS Administrator dialog box.

Discussion:  There may be some users that cannot connect using just the server name, vmgislicserver.  Therefore, the instructions have the user explicitly name the domain, vmgislicserver.ci.tucson.az.us.  In rare cases, the IP address is used.  There are also some issues with the Police firewall.  The Network Adminstrators must open a port to see the license server.
 

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How do I create a SQL Server alias?

 

Solution:

  1. Run the SQL Server Client Network Utility executable cliconfg.exe normally located in C:\WINDOWS\system32
  2. When the utility window opens, click on the Alias tab
  3. Click the Add button
  4. Select the TCP/IP radial button option
  5. Enter GIS-SQL\GIS for the server alias (upper/lower case does not matter)
  6. Enter PW-SQL2005 for the server name (upper/lower case does not matter)
  7. Click ok to save the alias configuration and ok again to close the utility.

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ArcMap randomly crashes.

Summary: ArcMap randomly crashes and Windows returns one of the error messages shown below

  1. The instruction 0x0000000 referenced memory at 0x0000000 which could not be read
  2. ArcMap.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows
  3. ArcMap has encountered a problem and needs to be closed

Solution: Try one or any combination of the following

  1. Uncheck any extensions that are not needed.
  2. Start ArcMap from the icon on the desktop or Start...All Programs...ArcGIS...ArcMap.  If ArcMap opens normally, then try the MXD.  If it crashed when opening the MXD, you could have a corrupted MXD.  Try these suggestions to fix the MXD.
  3. Backup and delete the Normal.mxt file located under C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Application Data\ESRI\Desktop10.0\ArcMap\Templates.  The next time you open ArcMap, this file will automatically be re-created.  If you do not see the Application Data folder, from the Tools menu in Windows Explorer, select Folder options.  Click on the View tab.  Under Hidden files and folders, select the option to "Show hidden files and folders."
  4. Start ArcCatalog first, then ArcMap.
  5. Reboot the computer.
  6. Try some of the suggestions on the ESRI Knowledge Base
  7. Reinstall or upgrade the video drivers
  8. Reinstall ArcGIS or apply the latest service pack

Discussion: Some of the above suggestions will require administrator privileges. For assistance, email the Help Desk or call 791-4370. Please screen capture any error messages.

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When I open ArcMap, it tells me that all licenses are currently in use.

Solution: Try a different license level. Follow the instructions for How do I change my license level (software product) in ArcGIS?. If you are unsuccessful, email the Help Desk or call 791-4370. Please screen capture any error messages.

Discussion: The City of Tucson uses a floating license architecture which means the software can be installed on any number of machines, but only finite number of licenses are available. If all the licenses are checked out, the software will not function.

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How do I install the Tucson Water font?

Solution: Click here to download the font to some temporary location on your hard drive. Open the Fonts folder. For Win XP users, go to Start...Control Panel...Fonts. For Win 2000 users, go to Start...Settings...Control Panel...Fonts. Select "Install New Font" from the File Menu and then navigate to the TTF file you just downloaded. Select the file and click OK to install.

If you are unsuccessful, email the Help Desk or call 791-4370. Please screen capture any error messages.

Discussion: The MXD layer stores the symbology.  If you opent an MXD and it cannot find the Tucson Water fonts, it will substitute some other font file.  Do not save the MXD or the layer will save the substituted font.  Immediately close the MXD and install the Tucson Water fonts.

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When I open an MXD, I see a smiley faces for valves and other odd symbols.

Solution: Close ArcMap without saving the MXD. Follow the instructions for How do I install the Tucson Water font?. If you are unsuccessful, email the Help Desk or call 791-4370. Please screen capture any error messages.

Discussion: The layers in the MXD store a pointer to the Tucson Water font file with the valve map symbols. If this font file is missing, ArcMap uses a default Windows font file such as Windings.

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How do I get rid of the red exclamation marks next to the layer name in ArcMap?

Solution:

  1. Make sure you have a valid account and the correct connection properties by creating a connection in ArcCatalog.
  2. Find the name of the feature class from the layer properties:  right-click on the layer and open the layer's Properties. Select the Source tab to see the feature class name and location. Close the Properties box and proceed to the next step.
  3. Click on the red exclamation point to open the Data Source dialog box.
  4. Navigate to the location of the datasource.  If it is a shapefile, it will be a folder.  If it is a database, it will be under Database Connections.
  5. Scroll through the list of feature class, click to highlight, and click the Add button. This step will automatically reconnect any other data sources in the same workspaces, so you may notice some of the other red exclamation points are gone.
  6. Repeat the above steps for the remaining red exclamation points.
  7. Alternative to the above steps: try using the try using the ArcCatalog Datasource(s) tool

 Discussion: The red exclamation points are indications of connection problems: database is down, data source missing, moved or renamed, invalid login/pwd.

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How do I get access to the PCLIS data on MARS?

Solution:

  1. On your desktop you will find an icon called My Network Places, right click on that icon and choose Map Network Drive

  2. In the folder box, type the following \\MARS\STORAGE\MARS1


     

  3. Click the link 'Connect using a different user name'

  4. Type the following in the user name box Mars-User with password mars


     

  5. Click OK

  6. Click Finish

  7. If unsuccesful try the steps above using \\MARS\MARS1 or \\166.89.24.136\STORAGE\MARS1 instead

  8. If you are still unsuccessful, click here to download a script that will map the MARS folders to the M: drive.

    • To run the script, double click on the file in Windows Explorer.
    • If the M: drive is already in use, you will have to edit the script (use NotePad or WordPad) to select a different drive letter.
    • You can place the script in your Startup folder (C:\Documents and Settings\LoginName\Start Menu\Programs\Startup) to automatically map the MARS drive when your computer boots up or you can execute the script as needed.

  9. If none of the above worked, follow the instructions at MARS folder connection steps or email the Help Desk or call 791-4370. Please screen capture any error messages.

Discussion: The PCLIS data is stored in the \az\counties\pima\shapes folder on the MARS server. The most commonly used data from MARS such as parcels and streets has been loaded for convenience into the GIS Database EMAPDB.

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How do I edit an unversioned feature class/table.

Solution: Change the edit mode in ArcMap. Click Editor on the editing toolbar. Click Options. Click the Versioning tab. Uncheck Edit a version of the database with the ability to undo and redo.


Discussion: In this mode, you will no longer have the UNDO option. If you later need to perform versioned edits, you'll need to turn this option back on. More information can be found in the online help topics Configuring an ArcMap edit session to perform nonversioned edits and An Overview of working with nonversioned data.

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Why does ArcMap take a LONG time to open or HANGS/CRASHES on startup?

Solution: First, determine if the problem is ArcMap or the MXD. Start ArcMap without opening an existing map. You can start ArcMap by clicking the Launch ArcMap button in ArcCatalog or from Start...All Programs...ArcGIS...ArcMap. 

If ArcMap hangs or crashes on startup, try some of these suggestions to fix ArcMap.

If ArcMap opens without problems, then the MXD is the most likely culprit. Try these suggestions to fix the MXD.

 

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Why does ArcCatalog take a long time to open or close?

Solution:  If you do a lot of geoprocessing, clear out the results (in results window right click and choose "delete all").

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What is the minimum required metadata?

Solution:  Using the ArcGIS 10 metadata editor, populate the required fields shown in red.  The blue fields are optional, but recommended. Click here for a PDF version.

 

Discussion: Here is a sample of completed metadata.

 

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How do I use the Arc Catalog Set Data Source(s) tool?

Solution:

  1. Browse to the MXD in ArcCatalog and right click on the MXD and select Set Data Source(s)

  2. Select the first layer, highlight it and click the Replace All... button

  3. In the replace with box, manually type in the new database connection name you created in ArcCatalog and add .sde file extension. The default connection name is shown in the example, but if you’ve renamed it, just type it in exactly as you see it in arc catalog (plus the .sde suffix).

  4. Click Replace All.

  5. Click Ok and the new connection will be saved to the Output File listed at the top 

Discussion: This tools makes a copy of the original MXD. Only the layers are exported. Customizations (VBA code, UI Controls, custom toolbars), graphs, and table window appearance properties are removed from the MXD.

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 How do I connect to an ArcGIS Server map service?

 

Solution: Follow the directions below to create a connection in ArcCatalog

  1. Open ArcCatalog

  2. Double click GIS Servers on the left hand table of contents to expand

  3. Double click Add ArcGIS Server

  4. Select "Use GIS Services" and click Next.

  5. Enter the following server URL: http://www.tucsonaz.gov/arcgis/services

  6. Click Finish

Discussion: These maps service were designed for web applications, so you will see a drop in performance when used in ArcMap.  Some of the services are cached and will not be as current as the raw data in vectorsde or rastersde.

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How Do I Fix A Corrupted MXD?

Solution:

  1. If you have not already done so, make sure ArcGIS Desktop is operating normally by opening a blank MXD and then opening the MXD in question.  If ArcMap hangs or crashes on startup, try some of these suggestions to fix ArcMap.
  2. Try opening the MXD on a different machine.
  3. Remove and Bing, Google or ArcGIS online layers to see if this makes any improvements to performance.
  4. Open the MXD, clear the geoprocessing results from ArcToolbox.  Save the MXD.
  5. The MXD could have broken layers.  Try using the ArcCatalog Datasource(s) tool;or wait to see if the MXD eventually opens.  When it does, look for red exclamation points and fix using these instructions.
  6. Try using theMXDDoctor.
  7. Try using the MXD Degragmenter.
  8. Export the layers to a new blank MXD
  9. Delete the MXD and start with a new empty MXD, thereby having to recreate the properties for layers from scratch.
  10. The MXD may have connections to a SQL Server database instance that was moved or no longer exists. With direct connect, the instance name is stored in the connection string. Click here for directions on creating an alias to redirect the connections to the new instance.
  11. The MXD may have connections to an Oracle database that was moved or no longer exists. With direct connect, the TNSNAME is stored in the connections string. Update the TNSNAMES.ORA file. MAKE A BACKUP BEFORE EDITING!!
  12. The MXD may have connections to a server that was moved or no longer exists. Edit the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file by typing in the old server name next to the new IP. MAKE A BACKUP BEFORE EDITING!!
  13. Look to see if the mxd has a picture inserted that no longer has the same path. Delete the picture then re-insert it.

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How do I quickly search for data layers?

Solution:

  1. Set up a Search Index for your connection to vectorsde.  Specific directions can be found on the ESRI desktop help page: Using Search in ArcGIS

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How do I change layer connection properties?

Solution: For SDE database feature classes or tables

  1. Open the MXD.
  2. From the GeoProcessing menu, select Python to open the Python window.
  3. Execute the following commands and be aware the objects and methods are case-sensitive and MyConnection.sde is the name of the Target database connection as you see it in ArcCatalog.
    1. mxd=arcpy.mapping.MapDocument("CURRENT")
    2. mxd.replaceWorkspaces("","NONE","Database Connections\\MyConnection.sde","SDE_WORKSPACE",True)

 

Discussion:  As long as the feature class name is the same, this method can switch the database, dataowner or login.  If it cannot find the feature class in the Target database, it skips that layer.  With some slight modification to the code, it can be used to switch workspace types, such as SDE to File Geodatabase. 

mxd.replaceWorkspaces("","NONE","c:\\gis\\roads.gdb","FILEGDB_WORKSPACE",True)

See ArcGIS Help for more information on updating and fixing data sources with the arcpy.mapping module.

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ArcMap is SLOW.  How can I improve performance?

Solution:  Try one or more of the following.

  1. Use the feature cache.

  2. Remove or turn off Bing, Google or ArcGIS online layers to see if this makes any improvements to perfomance.

  3. Turn off layers you do not need.

  4. Turn off unnecessary labels and maptips.

  5. Pause labeling or drawing (F9).  These actions can be found under the View... menu.

  6. Remove unnecessary joins or relates.

  7. Avoid using transparency on layers and halos on labels.

  8. Avoid using complex symbology.

  9. If you do a lot of geoprocessing, clean out the results history.

  10. Close ArcMap and delete the Normal.mxt from the folder C:\Documents and Settings\Login Name\Application Data\ESRI\ArcMap\Templates

  11. If you are having performance issues while editing

    • Open a blank MXD and add only the data layers that will be modified. 

    • Do some test editing. 

    • If you see a noticeable increase in performance, the issue could be a problem in the layer properties such as it's been corrupted, or the definition query is bad, or the symbology is overly complex. 

    • Go back to the MXD where you experienced the problems and check the layer properties for bad connections or definition queryies or complex symbology.  If there is nothing wrong with the layer properties, it could be corrupted so export the layers to a new MXD.

  12. The problem could be a corrupt MXD.  This has been know to happen to MXDs that were originally created in a previous version.  Export the layers to a new blank MXD or try these suggestions to fix the MXD.

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How do I export layers to a new MXD


Solution:  There are several ways, here are a few:

  1. Using drag and drop
    • Open a second instance of ArcMap with a blank MXD.
    • Drag and drop layer from the original MXD to the new blank MXD.
    • Save the new MXD.
  2. Using layer files
    • Right click a layer and select "Save as layer file"
    • Open blank MXD and add the layer that was save to disk in the previous step.
  3. Using group layer files
    • Select several layers usings Shift-Click
    • Right click and select "Group"
    • Right click on the newly created group layer and select "save as layer file"
    • Open blank MXD and add the layer that was save to disk in the previous step.

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How do I access the technical workshops proceedings from the ESRI User Conference??

Solution

  1. For City employees the 2010 User Conference Technical Workshopsa are available on the Intranet (Career & Training - GIS Training)

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Error appears when trying to save edits in ArcMap

 

Error Message #1:

Your edits could not be save because the target version has been updated since you started editing.  These edits have been merged into your edit session.  Review the change and save again.

Solution:

As instructed in the error message, try the save again.

Discussion:  This message appears because there are other editors are in the geodatabase workspace.  You can prevent this message from appearing.  From the editor toolbar in ArcMap, select Options.  click on the versioning tab.  Choose the option to "Automatically save changes only if there are no conflicts"

 

Error Message #2:

Unable to save edits.  Unable to reconcile : the target version is currently being reconciled against. [sde.DEFAULT] The versions has been redefined to reference a new database state. [sde.DEFAULT]

Solution:

Wait a minute or two and try the save again.

Discussion:  This error appears when you are attempting to save edits at the same time as another editor in the geodatabase workspace.

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What do I do if eMap does not load?

Please go through the following list of questions and send the answers to itsupport@tucsonaz.gov

1.  Are you connected to the intranet?  To test, type in intranet in your browser.  If you are connected, it will take you to the City's intranet home page.

2.  What URL are you using to connect?  Look in the address bar of the browser.  The correct URL is http://twgis/emap.

3.  What error messages, if any, do you see?

4.  Does eMap work on your co-workers computers?

5.  What browser are you using?  eMap certified to work only with Internet Explorer 6.  You may get lucky and get it to work with Internet Explorer 7 or 8.

6.  Do you have read/write access to your C drive?  To test, try to create a folder called c:\emaptest.

7.  What version of the Java JRE are you using? To find out, go to Start...Control Panel...Add/Remove programs.  Scroll down the list until you see an item called Java(TM) # Update #.  Record the #'s.  eMap is certified to work only with Java 6 Update 12.

For More Information?

Solution:

  1. For City employees the 2010 User Conference Technical Workshops are available: Intranet
  2. The ESRI web site has on-linr resources: Desktop Help 10.0
  3. On-line trainings are also available, some are free: Training Catalog
  4. Hour long Training Seminars can be viewed live or after the fact:  Recorded Training Seminars
  5. ArcGIS 10 Tips and Shortcuts brochure: brochure

 

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