Hi,
I was wondering if it was possible to have more than one WaterGEMS layer in ArcMap for the same element. I would like to be able to simultaneously view the network pipes symbolized by two different fields.
I have tried to copy a WaterGEMS layer in ArcMap, but the link with WaterGEMS is lost.
Thanks
Danny
Hi Danny,
I have a few ideas, but if you could give me some more information using an example as to exactly what you're trying to do and why that will help me answer the question better for you. I'd also like to know what you mean by 'copying' the layer. There are a few different ways to accomplish a task in ArcMap for most things, so if I understood how you're copying they layer that might help too. Are you exporting the layer to a shapefile or feature class in a separate geodatabase and then adding it back to the project?
The first thing that I'm thinking in this case is that only one of the symbolized layers will be able to be shown at a time because they will both be laid directly on top of each other, which is part of why I asked for some more information. The second thing that I should mention is that each feature class in the WaterGEMS geodatabase is tied to that WaterGEMS project's database, which is either a .sqllite if you're on the latest version or .mdb file if you're on an older version. As far as I know that database is only designed to support one layer for each element, so the best option I can think of would just be to export out that layer to create a shapefile or feature class then add it back in. That should give you the two layers that you want of the same element and allow you to symbolized each differently and won't interfere with the WaterGEMs project database.
Regards,
Mark
Hi Mark,Thanks for the reply. Here's a screenshot of the behavior I was looking for. In one of the layers, the symbol is offset in order to help visualize both attributes at the same time :https://www.dropbox.com/s/ythdor10ldwcd4b/MultiLayer.jpg?dl=0
I would prefer both layers to be "live" (not a static copy). If this isn't built-in, can I create my own join using the Haestad ArcGIS OLE DB provider?
I see what you're trying to do now and it makes a more sense to me. I can also tell you that the way the WaterGEMS for ArcMap is currently designed it's not able to support more than one layer linked to the WaterGEMS database and even if you could find a way to do it I think right now you'd probably be risking the integrity of your WaterGEMS database. By that I mean it might be prone to corruption and that's probably not something that you'd want to have to contend with. In general, we don't recommend changing any of the WaterGEMS layer names or manually trying to change any information the WaterGEMS database file or the geodatabase file that you create which links the WaterGEMS database file to the ArcMap interface.
If by your question, "If this isn't built-in, can I create my own join using the Haestad ArcGIS OLE DB provider?", you mean can you use a table join from the WaterGEMS pipe layer to the layer that you are going to be creating that is in a separate geodatabase file then as far as I know that answer is yes and I don't see a reason why that should be a problem. I say "as far as I know" because I believe I have done this before, but I have not used a file over a long enough period of time with a join in place to know what happens or might happen. My advice would be that you can do this or anything else you want to try, but just make sure to have a backup file or two in case anything should go wrong.
To sum up here is what I would do in your case:
1) Right click on the pipes layer and use the export data option to create copy of the pipe layer. If there are specific columns that you want to see like Material, Diameter, length, etc... in the layer make sure to add them before you export. Make sure you have this layer in a separate geodatabase file.
2) Then you can use the table join tool to join the layers
I also just had a colleague of mine point out that you can right click > Copy on a layer in the Table of Contents, then right click on “Layers” at the top of the list and choose paste – that makes a copy of the layer, pointing to the same data source. Since both layers are pointing to the WTRG intermediate geodatabase that may make the layer “live” like you wanted. It also sounded like you may have already tried this though based on your first post and it sounds like you stated that one layer becomes disconnected. If that is the case you can disregard this suggestion, but if you do decide to try it then I would just encourage you to use caution, as I stated above, and make some backup copies before trying it.
Actually, I was wondering if I could add a join manually to the WaterGEMS database (sqlite). That way, I could reconnect the layers by hand.
By saving a WaterGEMS layer to file (.lyr file) and opening it with notepad, I can see that the Haestad ArcGIS OLE DB provider is being used to create the join. However, I don't know the connection parameters that the OLE DB provider requires. If I had this information, I could workaround the single layer limitation.
Danny,
I'm currently looking into finding out if there is a way to do what you are asking about.