1. What is the ProjectWise Connector for ArcGIS?
The ProjectWise Connector for ArcGIS enables Bentley users to exchange information with an ArcSDE Geodatabase. Features can be extracted from the Geodatabase into managed DGN files and used as references in design sessions. Bentley GIS solutions can read this data and kept the source Geodatabase schema intact. Users may also modify existing Geodatabase features and add new ones, applying the Geodatabase rules as constraints for the editing session. Final designs can be posted to the Geodatabase for sharing with other ArcGIS users.
2. Does the ProjectWise Connector for ArcGIS handle ArcSDE versioning?
Yes, it is possible to select the version for each extraction. Also, if the extraction is made with the intent to later modify the content of this extraction, an edit version is automatically created to hold a copy of these “to-be-modified” features. This capability allows other Geodatabase clients to access the parent features without being affected with the pending modifications. Once the modifications are made, the user can commit the modifications into the parent version automatically or, if preferred within an organization, ArcMap can be used to perform the commit operation.
3. How is conflict resolution handled?
When posting changes to the Geodatabase, the user is given the choice to automatically commit the changes from the edit version to the parent version. However, if a conflict occurs (typically when another user has changed the same features), the commit operation is rolled back. Thus the parent version is not affected, but the changes are still present in the edit version in the geodatabase. At this point, ArcMap can be used to resolve the conflicts between the edit version and its parent.
4. What Geodatabase feature classes and rules are supported by the ProjectWise Connector for ArcGIS?
Point, line, polygon, and annotation feature classes (standalone and feature-linked) are supported, including the domain constraints and subtypes that can be associated to those features. Categorization of feature classes using feature datasets is also supported.
5. How are MicroStation symbologies (colors, line styles, cells) handled by the ProjectWise Connector for ArcGIS when posted to a GeoDatabase?
The ArcGIS connector assigns symbology to point, annotation, line, and polygon features during an extraction based on the definition contained in the Geospatial Connector Administrator, thus allowing a fully symbolized DGN. The Geodatabase symbology is not used in this context.
6. What happens to B-splines when posted to a Geodatabase?
Extraction or posting of B-splines is not supported.
7. Are coordinate systems maintained/understood between the two disparate systems?
Yes, Geodatabase features pertaining to different coordinate systems can be extracted and reprojected to the coordinate system of choice in the DGN file. All coordinate systems offered in Bentley GIS solutions are supported.
8. Can the ArcGIS Connector work with personal geodatabases, coverages, shape files, and file-based geodatabases?
No, currently the ArcGIS Connector only allows connection to ArcSDE databases. Bentley does provide desktop level interoperability with shape files via the Geospatial Extension to MicroStation, on which Bentley GIS solutions are built.