Introduction
Databases are critical to most organizations, applications, and systems. From typical text attributes to digital files to spatial data and geometry, databases store all sorts of data in a structured manner, typically in multiple, often related, tables. For a high-level overview of how FME can help you with Databases, see our website.
Database Terminology
Database: a collection of related data, often organized and structured into multiple tables/feature types.
Database Connections: provide a convenient and secure way to store and reuse connection parameters to a database service.
Field: the columns/attributes in a table that represent a particular piece of information for a record object (i.e., salary, address, name, etc.).
Foreign Key: an attribute/field that isn't the primary key, that links one table to another table's primary key (enabling relationships and joins).
Primary Key: one or more attributes/fields that identify a unique feature/row in a table.
Record: the rows/features in a table that represent an object that can have associated attributes (fields/columns).
Schema: the definition of the database and table structures. In FME, the schema definition describes the attributes, data types, and any constraints for a feature type/table.
Table: a collection of rows and columns in which data is organized and stored. In FME, a table is represented by a feature type.
Tutorials
Getting Started Articles
Tutorial: Getting Started with Cloud Databases
- Reading and Writing Amazon Redshift Spatial Databases
- Connecting to Oracle Autonomous Databases
- Reading and Writing Oracle Autonomous Databases
- Getting Started with Snowflake
Tutorial: Getting Started with Microsoft SQL Server
- Viewing and Inspecting SQL Server Data
- Converting from SQL Server
- Converting to SQL Server: Create, Drop or Truncate a Table
- Converting to SQL Server: Write to an Existing Table
- Converting from SQL Server to MapInfo (Non-Spatial to Spatial)
Tutorial: Getting Started with Oracle
- Viewing and Inspecting Oracle Data
- Converting from Oracle
- Converting to Oracle: Create, Drop or Truncate a Table
- Converting to Oracle: Write to an Existing Table
- How to Convert Oracle Spatial to Shapefile
FAQ: Database Connections on FME Flow
How to Connect FME Flow Hosted to an External Database
Making Database and Web Connections Public
Intermediate Articles
- Filtering Features to Set Operation Type
- Using Change Detection to Set Operation Type
- Updating Individual Fields of a Record
An Introduction to Incremental Database Updates
Merging or Joining Spreadsheet or Database Data
Advanced Articles
Before completing the following articles, be sure to work through the Getting Started Articles first.
Tutorial: Let the Database Do the Work
- Let the Database do the Work: Reading
- Working with Foreign Keys: Writing Database Tables
- Database Tips & Tricks In FME
- Making use of Oracle Sequences when working with Oracle Tables
- Writing to an Oracle table with Foreign Keys
Single edits PostgreSQL: Push data from the database to an application in real-time
Bulk edits PostgreSQL: Push data from the database to an application in real-time
Connecting to Snowflake using Keypair Authentication
Format Documentation
Amazon Aurora (MySQL-Compatible) Reader/Writer
JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) Reader/Writer
Microsoft SQL Server Reader/Writer
MongoDB3 Reader/Writer
Oracle Reader/Writer
PostgreSQL Reader/Writer
SAP HANA and Cloud Platform HANA Service Reader/Writer
Snowflake Reader/Writer
SpatiaLite Reader/Writer
Top Questions and Answers
How do database connection passwords get saved in workbenches?
How to use LIKE query in FeatureReader on a PostGIS database
Merging geometry from a database table
Prioritize the Writing of Data to a database
Additional Resources
Blogs
7 Spatial Databases for Your Enterprise (in 2021)
A Beginner's Guide to… Bulk Database Updates with FME
Geodatabase vs. Geospatial Database: What's the Difference?
JDBC: The Swiss Army Knife of Database Formats
NoSQL Databases: Exploring What's Possible with FME
Spatial Data in the Cloud: Part 1, Cloud-Native Relational Databases
Spatial Data in the Cloud – Part 2, NoSQL Databases
Why Excel is Not a Database
Presentations
A Database for Every Occasion
Database Comparison and ArcMap Data Driven Pages
FME in Maintaining Spatial Data Infrastructure Database Updates
Keeping a Common Address Database "Common" Using FME
Managing a Spatial Data Warehouse with FME
Optimizing Database Integrations
Videos
Creating Dynamic FME Workspaces – Database Demo [5:30]
FME Tutorials: Converting to PostGIS: Writing to an Existing Table [5:18]
How to Perform Spatial Queries on a Database [3:48]
Loading Data In and Out of Snowflake (1/3) - How to Set Up A Snowflake Database Connection [2:16]
Webinars
Back to FME School - Day 1: Your Data and FME [2:13:18]
Database Tips & Tricks: Strategies for Detecting and Handling Schema Drift [1:11:22]
Dive in with Databases – FME Summer Camp [34:35]
Let Your Database Do the Work - Technical Webinar Part 1 [1:00:34]
Let Your Database Do the Work - Technical Webinar Part 2 [53:52]
Troubleshooting
FME and Oracle Troubleshooting Guide
FME and SQL Server Troubleshooting Guide
FME Flow Troubleshooting: Connections (Web and Database)
Issues connecting to Snowflake with FME
Known Issues
For a list of Known Issues, see Known Issues in FME
Support
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