The Geodatabase Settings section of the Environment Settings dialog box provides environment settings for results placed in a geodatabase. Included are the following settings that can be changed:
- Output configuration keyword
- Output spatial grids
- Spatial domain and precision information
The following subtopics supplement the reference topics found in
Environment settings.
The configuration keyword specifies the storage parameters (configuration) for file geodatabases or for geodatabases in a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)—ArcSDE Enterprise Edition only.
The database storage configuration enables you to fine-tune how data is stored. The configuration parameters are grouped together into one or more configuration keywords, one of which is the defaults configuration keyword that specifies the default storage parameters.
When you create a dataset, such as a feature class, geometric network, or raster, you can tell the database which configuration keyword to use. Different configuration keywords can be used for different datasets. Normally, you can use the defaults configuration keyword, which geoprocessing tools will access automatically. In some cases, you may have created alternative configuration keywords for use when you create particular datasets or types of data to maximize their performance, or when you fine-tuned some aspect of how they were stored in the database. In this case, an alternative keyword can be specified.
Learn more about configuration keywords for file geodatabases
Learn more about configuration keywords for ArcSDE Enterprise Edition geodatabases
You can set up output
which are two-dimensional grid systems that span a feature class. When zoomed in on a feature class and performing a spatial search, only the features that fall in the necessary cells of the spatial grid are searched, enabling the quick location of features that might match the criteria of the spatial search.
Personal geodatabase feature classes require a single spatial grid. ArcSDE geodatabase feature classes can have up to three spatial grids. Each spatial grid must be at least three times the size of the previous spatial grid. Feature size is an important factor in determining an optimum size for the spatial grid. Data that contains features of different sizes may require additional spatial grids to increase the speed of graphical queries.
If you are unfamiliar with creating spatial grids, use the default, which will calculate an appropriate size. A poorly defined grid size can increase the spatial search time.
Setting spatial domains (x, y, z, and m)
When results from running tools will be feature classes or feature datasets within a geodatabase, you can first set up the spatial domain, including the precision, which defines the level of detail that is maintained when data values are stored in a geodatabase. You can also set the allowable coordinate range for x,y coordinates; m-values, such as mileages along a highway; and z-values, such as building heights.
Precedence rules dictate where the spatial domain information will come from when running tools.
- If the output will be placed inside a feature dataset, the x,y domain set for the feature dataset will always be applied—if an x,y domain is set on the Environment Settings dialog box, it will be ignored in this case. M- and z-domain information is not determined by the feature dataset. This information can be set on the Environment Settings dialog box. If it is not set there, the m- and z-domains will be calculated by the tool, based on its inputs.
- If spatial domain information is set on the Environment Settings dialog box and the output does not reside inside a feature dataset, the spatial domain information set on the Environment Settings dialog box is used.
- If there are no values set for the spatial domain settings on the Environment Settings dialog box and the output does not reside inside a feature dataset, the spatial domains will be calculated using the domains of the tool input.
When setting the spatial domain information on the Environment Settings dialog box, the default for x,y coordinates or for m- and z-values specifies that the spatial domain of outputs be the same as the first input to the tool (Same as Input). You can change the default setting so that outputs are projected on-the-fly from the spatial domain for the input to the spatial domain set for the display (Same as Display) or to the spatial domain specified (As Specified Below). Alternatively, set the spatial domain for outputs to be the same as a layer in the table of contents of the display (Same as Layer).
The spatial domain information forms a part of the spatial reference you might want to set before running tools. Spatial reference information also consists of the coordinate system to apply to results.
Learn more about setting the coordinate system before running tools
