Using Esri Personal Geodatabases in FME 2022

Introduction

32-bit Windows is no longer supported in FME 2022.0 and newer, which means that the old 32-bit Esri Personal Geodatabase will no longer work. We have replaced this format with a 64-bit GDAL Personal Geodatabase reader. This new reader is being supported with GDAL libraries instead of the ArcObjects library that was previously used, this comes with some limitations that are listed below.  Please note that there is only a reader in FME 2022, there is no write functionality for Personal Geodatabases. If you require write functionality, please use an older 32-bit version of FME. 
 

Requirements

Previously, using the 32-bit Esri Personal Geodatabase format required a licensed version of Esri ArcGIS to be installed; this is no longer a requirement for the new 64-bit format. The 64-bit Personal Geodatabase requires a Microsoft Access ODBC Driver, if you have Microsoft Office installed, you should already have this driver, otherwise, you can download it for free from Microsoft’s website. 
 

Format Comparison

Upgrading in FME 2022.0 or Newer

If you have authored a workspace in a version of FME prior to 2022.0 that contains an Esri Personal Geodatabase reader but would like to upgrade to the 64-bit Personal Geodatabase reader in 2022.0 or newer, you will need to add a new reader to the canvas, as the format does not directly port. After adding the new reader, please remove the older readers before running the workspace. There is no writer for this format, so it is recommended that you use a different Geodatabase or another spatial database for writing.