ArcGIS Desktop can be licensed at three different levels: Desktop Basic, Desktop Standard, or Desktop Advanced. The geodatabase functionality available to you in ArcGIS Desktop varies depending on which license you use.
The geodatabase functionality available to you in ArcGIS Desktop Standard is essentially the same as when using ArcGIS Desktop Advanced; the only difference is there are more geoprocessing tools available with the Desktop Advanced license. If you use an ArcGIS Desktop Basic license, your access to geodatabase functionality is limited to the following:
Geodatabase functionality available with ArcGIS Desktop Basic
With an ArcGIS Desktop Basic license, you have access to the following geodatabase functionality:
- Create a file or personal geodatabase.
- Read, display, and query all types of data in file and personal geodatabases.
- Read, display, and query all types of data in enterprise, workgroup, or desktop geodatabases to which you have been granted SELECT privileges.
- Create, edit, and alter the schema of simple tables, feature classes, feature datasets, raster catalogs, and raster datasets in file or personal geodatabases.
- Create, edit, and alter locators, toolboxes, and some specialized datasets available with specific ArcGIS extensions in file and personal geodatabases. The specialized datasets you can create, edit, or alter are as follows:
- Tables (not part of relationship classes)
- Simple* feature classes
- Simple* feature datasets
- Raster catalogs
- Raster datasets
- Standard annotation
- Network datasets (requires ArcGIS Network Analyst)
- Schematic datasets (requires ArcGIS Schematics extension)
- Terrains (requires ArcGIS 3D Analyst)
- Locators
- Toolboxes
- Subtypes
- Domains
*Simple feature classes or feature datasets are those that do not participate in cartographic representations, dimensions, feature-linked annotation, geometric networks, parcel fabrics, relationship classes, or topologies.
Geodatabase functionality that is not available with ArcGIS Desktop Basic
The following functionality is not available if you use an ArcGIS Desktop Basic license:
- Create an enterprise, workgroup, or desktop geodatabase.
- Register data as versioned.
- Create, edit, or alter any data in an enterprise, workgroup, or desktop geodatabase.
- Register tables with a geodatabase.
- Administer locks, user connections, or versions in an enterprise, workgroup, or desktop geodatabase.
- Compress a versioned geodatabase.
- Block new connections to an enterprise geodatabase.
- Create, attach, or restore geodatabases on database servers.
- Create, edit, or alter any of the following data types in any type of geodatabase:
- Cartographic representations
- Dimension feature classes
- Feature-linked annotation
- Geometric networks
- Mosaic datasets
- Parcel fabrics
- Relationship classes
- Topologies
To do any of the operations in the preceding list, you need an ArcGIS Desktop Standard or Desktop Advanced license.