Validating DNC topology

During the setup of the ArcMap environment, you defined your topology. Now you must plan to use that topology during your production or maintenance cycle. Topology not only validates your database based on spatial relationships, but it also helps maintain coincident geometry by allowing you to edit shared geometry. During maintenance you edit your shoreline or other features that contain geometry coincident with numerous other features. The topology stores these relationships and allows you to select all the required features and edit them at the same time.

Note:

Always make sure you have the correct feature selected when using the topology fixes. If you make a mistake, use the Undo button and validate the area again to log the error. The Undo button does not undo the topology error table, just the edits.

1. Start ArcMap.
2. If necessary, set up the DNC production environment.
3. Click the Production Start Editing button on the Production Editing toolbar.

   Note:

   The Manage Features and Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes windows automatically appear when you start an edit session using the Production Start Editing tool.

   Tip:

   If the Create Attributes, Update Attributes, or Metadata Attributes window does not appear when you start an edit session, click the Show/Hide Attributes button on the Manage Features window.

4. Add the Topology command by doing the following:
   1. On the main menu, click Customize > Customize Mode.

      The Customize dialog box appears.

   2. Click the Commands tab.
   3. Choose Topology in the Categories list.
   4. Drag the Topology command to the Topology toolbar.
   5. Click Close.
5. If DNC_Topology is not already selected on the Topology toolbar, click the Topology drop-down arrow and select it.

   If you have set up map topologies, there may be more than one choice.

6. You can validate a portion of a topology using the tools on the Topology toolbar.
   • Click Validate Topology In Specified Area and drag a box around the area you want to validate. The features that fall within the bounding box will be validated.
   • Click Validate Topology In Current Extent . Areas that are not currently visible on the map are not validated.
7. Click Error Inspector on the Topology toolbar.
8. You can use the Error Inspector window to find errors and exceptions.

   To find errors for all rules	Click the Show drop-down arrow, and click Errors from all rules.
   To find errors for a particular topology rule	Click the Show drop-down arrow, and click the rule.
   To find errors in the visible extent	Check Visible extent only.
   To find exceptions	Check Exceptions, and uncheck Errors.

9. Click Search Now.
10. Click the error in the Error Inspector list or use the Fix Topology Error tool to click it on the map.

    The error is drawn in black on the map.

11. Right-click the error in the list or on the map and click one of the available fixes. The fixes listed depend on the type of error.

    For example, to fix a Must Not Overlap error by merging an overlapping polygon into another polygon, right-click the error, click Merge, then choose the feature into which to merge the error feature.

12. Validate the topology again to ensure the edit was correct.