When using a geodatabase, use a File Geodatabase. There is more storage capacity, multiple users can view/read the database at the same time, and the file geodatabase runs tools and queries faster than a Personal Geodatabase. Use a shapefile when you want to read the attribute table or when you have a one or two tools/processes you need to do.
A shapefile (.shp) is a vector data storage format for storing the location, shape, and attributes of geographic features. A shapefile is stored in a set of related files and contains one feature class. A layer file (.lyr) is a file that stores the path to a source dataset and other layer properties, including symbology.
Geographic features in a shapefile can be represented by points, lines, or polygons (areas). The workspace containing shapefiles may also contain dBASE tables, which can store additional attributes that can be joined to a shapefile's features.
Shapefiles are simple storage formats that have been used in ArcMap since the 1990s when Esri created ArcView (the early version of ArcMap 10.3). Therefore, shapefiles have many limitations such as: Takes up more storage space on your computer than a geodatabase. Do not support names in fields longer than 10 characters.
A shapefile is an Esri vector data storage format for storing the location, shape, and attributes of geographic features. It is stored as a set of related files and contains one feature class.
shp file format is not proprietary to Esri. It can be used in software from other providers, which makes it more readily available to a wider number of people. On the other hand, a file geodatabase in GIS is an alternate way to store information in one large file.
A shapefile is a vector data file format commonly used for geospatial analysis. Shapefiles store the location, geometry, and attribution of point, line, and polygon features.
Shapefile file extensionsshp—The main file that stores the feature geometry; required.shx—The index file that stores the index of the feature geometry; required.dbf—The dBASE table that stores the attribute information of features; required. ... sbn and . ... fbn and . ... ain and . ... atx—An .More items...
Shapefiles are a type of feature class. A feature class is a collection of common features that share geometry, attribute fields and in GIS, a spatial reference.
The geodatabase is the native data structure for ArcGIS and is the primary data format used for editing and data management. While ArcGIS works with geographic information in numerous geographic information system (GIS) file formats, it is designed to work with and leverage the capabilities of the geodatabase.
The Shapefile is the most common format in GIS. It's a vector format that can be read by almost all GIS systems.
three filesAlmost all of the vector GIS data available on the web is in shapefile format. A shapefile actually consists of at least three binary files, and you must keep all three files together. The SHP file, with the coordinates. These are stored in binary format, but can be displayed in human readable text.
An ESRI shapefile consists of a main file, an index file, and a dBASE table. The main file is a direct access, variable-record-length file in which each record describes a shape with a list of its vertices.
The three basic symbol types for vector data are points, lines, and polygons (areas). These GIS file formats house vector data.
JPEG2000 – Open-source raster format. A compressed format, allows both lossy and lossless compression. MrSID – Multi-Resolution Seamless Image Database (by Lizardtech). A compressed wavelet format, allows both lossy and lossless compression.
File Formats for GISFile Formats for GISName.kmzCompressed KML.gpxGPS data file.gdbFile Geodatabase (Directory).mdbPersonal Geodatabase/MS Access Database36 more rows
A shapefile is a simple, nontopological format for storing the geometric location and attribute information of geographic features. Geographic features in a shapefile can be represented by points, lines, or polygons (areas).
Unlike coverages, shapefile feature types are similar to the geometry types stored in a geodatabase, so conversion is more straightforward. For more information, see How data converts when importing.
You can edit shapefiles in ArcGIS for Desktop with any license level ( ArcGIS for Desktop Basic, ArcGIS for Desktop Standard, or ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced ). However, to take advantage of advanced editing functionality, such as topology, you will need to import the shapefile into a geodatabase as a feature class.
Shapefiles are simple storage formats that have been used in ArcMap since the 1990s when Esri created ArcView (the early version of ArcMap 10.3). Therefore, shapefiles have many limitations such as: Users are allowed to create points, lines, and polygons with a shapefile.
Use a shapefile when you want to read the attribute table or when you have a one or two tools/processes you need to do.
Users are allowed to create points, lines, and polygons with a shapefile. One shapefile must have at least 3 files but most shapefiles have around 6 files. A shapefile must have: All files for the shapefile must be stored in the same location with the same name or else the shapefile will not load.
Shapefiles are simple storage formats that have been used in ArcMap since the 1990s when Esri created ArcView (the early version of ArcMap 10.3). Therefore, shapefiles have many limitations such as: 1 Takes up more storage space on your computer than a geodatabase 2 Do not support names in fields longer than 10 characters 3 Cannot store date and time in the same field 4 Do not support raster files 5 Do not store NULL values in a field; when a value is NULL, a shapefile will use 0 instead
Geodatabases allow users to thematically organize their data and store spatial databases, tables, and raster datasets. There are two types of single user geodatabases: File Geodatabase and Personal Geodatabase. File geodatabases have many benefits including:
The geodatabase can be compressed which helps reduce the geodatabases’ size on the disk. On the other hand, Personal Geodatabases were originally designed to be used in conjunction with Microsoft Access and the Geodatabase is stored as an Access file (.mdb).
Likely the most significant difference between the two storage choices is that the .shp file format is not proprietary to Esri. It can be used in software from other providers, which makes it more readily available to a wider number of people.
At the end of the day, user preference has little to do with determining which spatial data storage format is used. Figuring out which file type is the right choice depends on three things: