Direct Connect for SDE

From fmepedia

Table of contents

1 Q) What do I need to be able to use the Direct Connect (2 tier) method of connecting to my SDE Geodatabases 2 Q) How do I connect to SDE using Direct Connect? 3 Q) How do I connect to my Personal SDE Geodatabase? 4 Q) Does ESRI write any log messages in the event of an error? 5 Q) Where can I get more information? 6 Q) What is wrong with my SDEHOME variable?

Q) What do I need to be able to use the Direct Connect (2 tier) method of connecting to my SDE Geodatabases

A) Prior to ArcGIS 9.2 SP5 it was a requirement that the version of the ArcGIS software on the client machine be at the same version as the ArcSDE software on the server. See http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisserver/9.3/java/index.htm#geodatabases/compati2068367888.htm for more information.

Prior to ArcSDE 9.2 SP5 the version of FME that you were using to do a Direct Connect must be compatible with the version of the ArcSDE software.

• - FME 2006GB is compatible with ArcSDE 9.1
• - FME 2007 and FME 2008 are compatible with ArcSDE 9.2 up to SP4

After upgrading to ArcSDE 9.2 SP5 or higher then it is possible to use FME 2008, with the modifications described on http://www.fmepedia.com/index.php/ArcGIS_SP5_Update, to access ArcSDE versions from 9.1 onwards. However you will still need to follow the instructions on the ESRI site to ensure that the correct patch levels and drivers have been installed.

If using FME 2009 to connect to ArcSDE 9.2 or higher you will either need to install ArcGIS desktop or the SDE SDK. For more information on FME 2009 and SDE compatability please see this fmepedia page: [FME_ESRI_Compatability (http://www.fmepedia.com/index.php/FME_ESRI_Compatibility)]

FME 2010 has the same requirements as FME 2009 above.

Q) How do I connect to SDE using Direct Connect?

A) To use SDE Direct Connect with FME you need to first ensure that the SDE direct connect drivers are installed on the client machine for the version of SDE that is on the server. These can be installed from the SDE SDK which come as part of the SDE installation box set.

If connecting to SDE on Oracle use the following settings in the ArcSDE Reader or Writer dialog box

   Connection: Parameters
   * Server: <not used but must have a value> 
   * Database: <name of the geodatabase> e.g. sde <this is not used but the interface requires it>
   * Instance Name: sde:oracle10g*
   * User ID: <database userid> e.g. scott
   * Password: <userpassword>@<oracle local net service name of the connection> tiger@MyOracleService
   * Version: SDE.DEFAULT

If connecting to SDE on SQL Server use the following settings in the ArcSDE Reader or Writer dialog box

   Connection: Parameters
   * Server: <not used but must have a value> 
   * Database: <name of the geodatabase> e.g. sde <this is not used but the interface requires it>
   * Instance Name: sde:sqlserver:<SQL Server Host Name> e.g. sde:sqlserver:myhost
   * User ID: <database userid> e.g. scott
   * Password: <userpassword>
   * Version: DBO.DEFAULT

If connecting to SDE on a named SQL Server instance use the following settings in the ArcSDE Reader or Writer dialog box

   Connection: Parameters
   * Server: <not used but must have a value> 
   * Database: <name of the geodatabase> e.g. sde <this is not used but the interface requires it>
   * Instance Name: sde:sqlserver:<SQL Server Host Name>\<instance name> e.g. sde:sqlserver:myhost\INST2
   * User ID: <database userid> e.g. scott
   * Password: <userpassword>
   * Version: DBO.DEFAULT

Q) How do I connect to my Personal SDE Geodatabase?

A) Connecting to a Personal SDE Geodatabase based on a SQLExpress instance also uses a direct OS Authenticated connection. So use the following settings in the Geodatabase ArcSDE Reader or Writer dialog box

   Connection: OS Authentication
   * Server: <not used but must have a value> 
   * Database: <name of the geodatabase> e.g. test_personal <this is required by the Geodatabase (ArcSDE) reader/writer>
   * Instance Name: sde:sqlserver:<SQL Server Host Name>\SQLEXPRESS e.g. sde:sqlserver:myhost\SQLEXPRESS
   * User ID: <not used> 
   * Password: <not used>
   * Version: dbo.DEFAULT

Q) Does ESRI write any log messages in the event of an error?

A) ArcSDE writes error messages to the following two log files when using direct connect: giomgr_<service>.log file and sdedc_<dbms>.log. If you have the SDEHOME environment variable set, these files will be written here. If you have an etc folder in your ArcGIS installation location, the files will be written here. If you have neither of these, the log files are written to the temp directory.

Q) Where can I get more information?

A) There are a lot of resources available from the ESRI ArcGIS 9.2 and 9.3 Desktop Help on how to setup a direct connection.

http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.2/index.cfm?TopicName=Setting_up_clients_for_a_direct_connection

http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisserver/9.3/java/index.htm#geodatabases/compati2068367888.htm

http://support.esri.com/index.cfm?fa=knowledgebase.techarticles.articleShow&d=34545

Q) What is wrong with my SDEHOME variable?

A) One of the most common error messages is:

INFORM | Making a direct connection using instance 'sde:oracle9i' and userId =
'support'ERROR  | Error connecting to instance 'sde:oracle9i' for database
'asdf' on server '!not_used!' for user 'support'.:SDE_ERROR_CODE(-106) The
supplied path for the SDE home directory is invalid. Error connecting to
instance 'sde:oracle9i' for database 'asdf' on server '!not_used!' for user
'support'.:SDE_ERROR_CODE(-92) Bad connection handle

This implies that the SDE SDK has not been installed or that your SDEHOME variable is not correct. Please see this fmepedia page for more information:

[FME_ESRI_Compatability (http://www.fmepedia.com/index.php/FME_ESRI_Compatibility)]