Smallworld Connection and Translation Errors

FME for Smallworld Connection Errors

Smallworld format greyed out or inaccessible

Symptom: Smallworld reader or writer is not listed in the FME reader or writer format list.

Solution: This may be an FME 32-bit/ mismatch. Please note that FME no longer supports 32-bit Windows as of 2021.2

• Smallworld 5.1 - Smallworld 5.1.9 (update 3) and higher support FME 64-bit
• Smallworld 5.2  & 5.3 and higher support FME 64-bit

Please refer to FME and Smallworld Configuration Options. Ensure the sworldswaf.dll version matches your Smallworld version.

Starting TICS on localhost:30000 using service FMENOFACTORY

Symptom: Error in the FME log and FME hangs.

Solution: Make sure you have the correct DLL and metafile for the Smallworld version you are using.
Version numbers may be displayed in the FME log file:

• Smallworld Reader version: 1.1.0.0
• Smallworld Translator version: 4.3dev.6

Unable to connect to Smallworld TICS Server. Is it running?

Symptom: Error in the FME log; no features are read, and the translation terminates

Unable to connect to Smallworld Server. Is it running?

Solution: Make sure the FME connection service has been started, i.e., fme_connection_service.start(30000, _unset, :gis)

Refer to the Smallworld Translators Installation documentation

FME cannot connect to the Smallworld VMDS

Symptom: FME returns a series of error messages but does not display the table (object) list. Or you might see an error in the FME log:

• Unable to connect to Smallworld Server. Is it running?

• |WARN |DLL 'C:\Program Files\FME\SWORLDSWAF.dll' was found but could not be loaded.
  Ensure that all the dependent modules exist for this DLL

• Failed to Retrieve Feature Types. Please ensure that the dataset is accessible and has feature types available to read. 

And in the log file you see: UniversalReader -- readSchema resulted in 0 schema features being returned

Cause: FME may be using the wrong sworldswaf.dll.

If you are using an older version of FME with a newer set of SWAF DLLs, the DLL may no longer be compatible with that version of FME. You'll have to upgrade to a newer version of FME.
The plug-in DLL must match the version of Magik installed on the Smallworld Server.

Resolution: Ensure that the version of the sworldswaf.dll matches the version of Smallworld you're using.

FME for Smallworld Translation Errors

FME API version of module 'SWORLDSWAF' is older than the current FME internal API version

Symptom: Warning in the FME log, and the translation continues.

FME API version of module 'SWORLDSWAF' is '3.1 20031010', which is older than the current FME internal API version '3.4 20081031'

Solution: The warning indicates that the Smallworld reader/writer plugin was built with an older FME API version than the current FME version being run. Usually, you can ignore this error.

Object unset does not understand message source_collection

Symptom: An error appears in the FME log, and the translation fails.

Smallworld Translator Error: Object unset does not understand message source_collection

Solution: This obscure message can have several causes. Check the Smallworld log. A possible cause is that you are trying to use the writer to update or delete an object that does not exist - i.e., the sys_id has no match.

Value wrong type for field key

Symptom: Error in the FME log

Smallworld Translator Error: Value wrong type for field key

Solution: You may be trying to insert records with a value set for the key field (sys_id). Make sure the key field is removed for insert operations.

The error is ignored, and FME inserts the records; Smallworld sets a valid key (sys_id) value.

Value <n> out of range for field key

Symptom: Error in the FME log

Smallworld Translator Error: Value 6901536570885542155 out of range for field key

Solution: A possible cause is that you are trying to insert records and you have a value set for the key field (sys_id) that is out of range. Make sure the key field is removed for insert operations.

The error is ignored, and FME inserts the records, and Smallworld sets a valid key (sys_id) value.

The reader has already been configured for operations in the opposite direction.

Symptom: Error in the FME log

Smallworld Translator Error: The reader has already been configured for operations in the opposite direction.

Solution: This error occurs when you are importing feature types from Smallworld into your workspace for your Smallworld writer. You can ignore this error message.

Geometry is missing

Symptom: Features are inserted into Smallworld, but they are missing the geometry. No errors or warnings are displayed.

Solution: This problem typically arises if you have the incorrect values for:
sworld_geometry{}.sworld_name

The value of this attribute must match the physical geometry field name. i.e., if the geometry field is location, then:
sworld_geometry{0}.sworld_name location

You can set this in an AttributeCreator transformer. 

Geometry is incorrect

Symptom: Features are inserted into Smallworld, but they are in the wrong location or the 'length' field has the wrong value. No errors or warnings are displayed.

Solution: A related issue to the one above. This is probably occurring because the writer used the wrong or no coordinate system. 

Symptom: When reading Smallworld data, the geometry looks like a spider's web

Solution: The probable cause is an incorrect Smallworld coordinate system. FME reads and writes Smallworld geometries using the Smallworld world coordinates. These are typically in millimeters or centimeters. Most FME coordinate systems are in meters or feet. 

Generally, you have to build a custom coordinate system (often just a copy of an existing FME coordinate system) with the appropriate mm or cm units. Attached is an example custom coordinate system for the British National Grid. The FME BritishNatGrid coordinate system is defined in meters, so to match the Smallworld Cambridge database, we have created a custom coordinate system - britishnatgrid-mm.zip - basically a copy of the original with the units changed from meters to millimeters.

Additional Resources

Please consider posting to the FME Community Q&A if you are still experiencing issues that are not addressed in this article. Other support channels are also available.