The following table shows which versions of ArcMap, ArcGIS Engine, and ArcGIS Server workgroup edition are compatible with which geodatabase releases:
| Client release | Geodatabase release |
|---|---|
10.3.x | 10.4.x, 10.3.x |
10.4.x | 10.5.x, 10.4.x, 10.3.x |
10.5.x | 10.6.x, 10.5.x, 10.4.x, 10.3.x |
10.6.x | 10.7.x, 10.6.x, 10.5.x, 10.4.x, 10.3.x |
10.7.x | 10.7.x, 10.6.x, 10.5.x, 10.4.x, 10.3.x |
10.8.x | 10.8.x, 10.7.x, 10.6.x, 10.5.x, 10.4.x |
It is important to note that it is the release of the connecting client that determines the version of the geodatabase that is created. If you have a mix of client releases at your organization, there is the potential to have different release geodatabases on the same database server.
The following scenarios are possible when using mixed client releases with database servers:
- In some cases a newer client can create a newer release geodatabase on a database server that is licensed for an older version of ArcGIS. For example, ArcMap 10.8.1 can create a 10.8.1 geodatabase on a database server that is licensed for 10.6.
- There is the potential for later release clients to upgrade the geodatabases created by earlier-release clients. That may or may not be acceptable for your workflow—you need to decide the rules your users must follow in regard to this functionality. As always, users should create a backup of the geodatabase before upgrading it.
- While older ArcGIS client versions can open, query, edit, and save data in newer release geodatabases, they cannot open datasets that participate in newer functionality and will encounter the following error message when trying to open one of these datasets: The version of the geodatabase client is incompatible with the dataset and cannot open it.
See Compatibility between ArcGIS clients and geodatabases in SQL Server for general rules on interoperable connections to geodatabases. Also be sure you are using a supported SQL Server client to connect.
You can check the Database Properties dialog box to see the release of a specific geodatabase. The Upgrade Status section on the General tab indicates the major and minor releases of the geodatabase.