Considerations
When writing to an Esri Enterprise Geodatabase (ArcSDE), consider if the data types you are trying to write are supported by both the version of the ArcGIS client software used with FME and the Geodatabase version.
Esri introduced four new field data types in ArcGIS 3.2:
- Date only
- Time only
- Timestamp offset
- Big integer
These data types are only supported in Esri Enterprise Geodatabases version 11.2 and later. If you write these data types to a new feature class in an Enterprise Geodatabase version before 11.2, FME will change (cast) them to a supported data type. This will be reflected in the log. For example, when writing to an Enterprise Geodatabase 10.8 using ArcGIS Pro 3.2+ or ArcGIS Server 11.2+ client software with FME:
Big Integer:
The 'bigint' type requires ArcGIS Pro 3.1+ for File/Mobile GDBs, or ArcGIS Pro 3.2+ for Enterprise GDBs (v11.2+). Using 'char(20)' type instead...Timestamp offset:
The 'timestamp_offset' type requires ArcGIS Pro 3.1+ for File/Mobile GDBs, or ArcGIS Pro 3.2+ for Enterprise GDBs (v11.2+). Using 'date' type instead...Date will also be used for the new "Date only" and "Time only" data types.
The Enterprise Geodatabase version FME is writing to is logged as "ArcSDE release". For example:
ArcSDE release: '10.8'. Underlying database: 'SQL Server'There is a known issue with FME before 2025 and ArcGIS Server where FME does not detect ArcGIS Server correctly. As a result, the data types listed above will be changed on write. If you are experiencing this on FME Flow, upgrade to FME 2025 or later. For FME Form, either upgrade to FME 2025 or later or use ArcGIS Pro as the client software. The geodatabase version is also reported incorrectly due to this issue. You can confirm the version in ArcGIS Pro to be sure.
Note that writing these new data types to a File Geodatabase version before 11.2 is supported, provided the correct ArcGIS client software version is used (ArcGIS Pro 3.1+ or ArcGIS Server 11.1+).
For FME Flow, ArcGIS Server must be installed and licensed on the same machine as the FME Flow Engine Service. Please see Using FME Flow with Esri ArcGIS Software for more details.
Attempting to read a geodatabase feature class that uses the new data types listed above with ArcGIS client software prior to ArcGIS Pro 3.2+ or ArcGIS Server 11.2+ will result in an Esri ArcObjects error:
An error occurred while attempting to open the table, feature class or relationship class 'FeatureClassName'. The error number from ArcObjects is: '-2147220944'. The error message from ArcObjects is: {This version of the Geodatabase client is incompatible with the dataset and cannot open it. [FeatureClassName]}Why This Happens
Esri Enterprise Geodatabases before version 11.2 do not support the "Date only", "Time only", "Timestamp offset", or "Big integer" data types.
Please see Esri's documentation for more details.
How to Resolve It
The resolution will depend on the constraints of your workflow or organization. Below are some potential resolutions:
- If you are using ArcGIS Server as the client software with FME, first upgrade to FME 2025 or later.
- Upgrade the Enterprise Geodatabase to version 11.2 or later. Please see Esri's documentation.
- Ensure you're using ArcGIS client software with FME that supports the data types you need to read and write. For the four data types listed in this article, ArcGIS Pro 3.2+ or ArcGIS Server 11.2+ is required. For FME Flow, ArcGIS Server is required.
If upgrading is not an immediate option, consider using a different data type for your feature class.