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Making connections in ArcCatalog

  • Making folder connections
  • Connecting to database servers for administration
  • Connecting to databases and enterprise geodatabases
  • Connecting to ArcGIS Server sites
  • Connecting to portals
  • Making interoperability connections

A key step in using ArcCatalog is to establish connections to file folders, geodatabases, servers, and other information sources that you plan to use.

Once connected, ArcCatalog helps you manage all your geographic information sets using the Catalog tree. The nodes in the Catalog tree are organized around the various ArcGIS information types. Here is an overview for creating connections to these information types.

Making folder connections

Folders contain a number of GIS elements—for example, map documents (.mxd), layer files (.lyr), toolboxes (.tbx), file and personal geodatabases (.gdb and .mdb), and a number of file-based datasets. The first task for working with folders and their contents is to make a folder connection in ArcCatalog. Here are the steps:

  1. Navigate to Folder Connections in the Catalog tree.
  2. Right-click the Folder Connections item and click Connect To Folder.
    Adding a folder connection in ArcCatalog
  3. Type the path or navigate to the desired workspace folder, then click OK.

Alternatively, folder connections can be made by clicking the Connect To Folder button Connect To Folder on the Standard toolbar.

Connecting to database servers for administration

Database server connections (Database Servers Folder) allow you to administer SQL Server Express instances that are configured to store geodatabases. Connect to the database server to perform such tasks as creating new geodatabases, adding users, and creating backups. See Add a database server to ArcMap to learn more.

Connecting to databases and enterprise geodatabases

Database connections (Database Connection Folder) allow you to access and use any supported database or enterprise geodatabase. See Connecting to an enterprise geodatabase or database for more information.

Connecting to ArcGIS Server sites

GIS server connections allow you to connect to instances of ArcGIS Server (Add ArcGIS Server), OGC servers for WMS (Add WMS Server), and WCS (Add WCS Server).

See Connecting to GIS servers to learn how to make each type of connection.

You can also use ArcCatalog to organize services in a series of folders.

Tree view for server connections

See Adding a GIS service folder in ArcGIS Desktop for more information.

Once you have established a server connection, you can click to expand its icon (ArcGIS Server) and work with its services. A red x for a server connection (Broken WMS Server connection) indicates that you are currently disconnected from the server. Double-click to reconnect.

Connecting to portals

The My Hosted Services tab in the Catalog tree provides you access to layers in ArcGIS Online or an ArcGIS Enterprise portal. By default, ArcGIS Desktop connects to ArcGIS Online, but you can connect to other portals.

When you configure ArcGIS Desktop to connect to the portal you need, you can sign in to the organization and add layers from the portal to your map. See Add layers from a portal for more information.

Making interoperability connections

Interoperability connections are used to add data formats not directly supported in ArcGIS Desktop. The ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension enables you to use Safe Software's FME product to add support in ArcGIS for virtually any external geospatial or tabular data format. See Supported formats with the Data Interoperability extension for a list of these data formats.

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