1. ArcGIS Data Management

2. Data in the Clusters • When you log in almost all of the computers on campus your personal profile is installed from a SU server. • You have 50 meg of storage • Stuff left on the desktop does not really reside there • In is stored under C:\Documents and settings • This location has spaces in the path… esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

3. How to manage YOUR data • SO DO NOT STORE DATA THERE BECAUSE ARC GIS CAN NOT USUALLY SEE IT BECAUSE OF THE SPACES! • AND DON’T LEAVE DATA IN C:\WORKSPACE BECAUSE THE MACHINES ARE CLEANED OFF EVERY DAY OR SO • So you really have to work with data in the folder C:/Workspace • And so does everyone else! • So… esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

4. So… • Keep your data on a memory stick (flash memory) or on your SU 50 meg of storage • Put it in a workspace called “xxx”* • When you fire up a campus machine • 1- erase everything in C:\workspace • 2- copy “XXX” into C:\workspace from your flash stick • When you are done copy (drag) the “xxx” folder back onto your memory stick or move it to your desktop. • If you are a nice person you will then delete your “xxx” folder from C:/workspace! * “xxx” is a stand-in for, say, an execise. Example: for Exercise 3 then you might call your personal workspace folder ”EX_3” esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

5. Why? • There are at least 2 reasons that you should work from C:\workspace • ArcGIS does not like some thumb drives • Thumb drives are slow and you may find that the exercises are painfully slo esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

6. On your flash memory stick On one of the ESF computer cluster machines For Example COPY or Drag esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

7. Booby Trap 1 • A .mxd file (your map document) does NOT contain ANY data! • It stores only paths to the data (Pointers) • So, for example, if you were to move the data files to a new location the .mxd would not be able to find the data. • This is a booby trap. If this happens you get a red “!” after the data file name. Click on it to browse for the data • However, there is a better way... esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

8. However… • You can set up your .mxd so that as long as the data and the .mxd are in the same relative relationship in a data tree then you don’t have to worry about this problem • So if your flash data structure is Z:\Eustis\data and on a cluster ‘puter it is C:\Workspace\Eustis\data every thing will work just fine!  • To set up Relative Paths … esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

9. 1 2 3 So how to you do that? esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

10. You need check that this is the default way to save data every time you open ArcMap or a .mxd!!!!!! esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

11. Booby Trap 2 WARNING Never, ever create a path to ArcGIS data that has spaces in it. If you do ArcGIS will not find the data! esf Laboratory for Applied GIS

12. Booby Trap 2 Save the .mxd often! ArcGIS has a habit of crashing at the most critical part of a project! When doing something that you do not want to lose it is a good idea to increment saves. First save as: mystuff1, second save as mystuff2,….mystuffn esf Laboratory for Applied GIS