Taking MapDotNet UX Studio for a Spin
So reading the MapDotNet Blog and how UX Studio can load shapefiles (and SDE) into SQL Server 2008 I thought I give it a spin. You have to download the whole UX platform to get UX Studio so make sure that you do a custom install so that you only get UX Studio (rather than the whole SDK and Web Services). To load data into SQL Server 2008 is very simple, all you need to do is start up UX Studio and add a shapefile to the project. Then right click on the shapefile in the data sources panel and select “Export Data”. You’ll get a dialog that looks like this:
Click for full view
When you click start the file is converted from shapefile to SQL Server 2008 table. A quick look at the table in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio shows the whole file uploaded perfectly. What a quick and easy way to convert your shapefiles (and SDE layers) to SQL Server 2008.
Success!
So there you go, loading data into SQL Server 2008 requires only the free UX Studio. Nice!
Do you know if this will work with the express version of SQL Server 2008 also?? Thought I would ask before taking all the time to download everything.
Yes Robert, MapDotNet supports all versions of SQL Server 2008 including Express.
AND, the download is only 14 megabytes. It includes Studio, the web services-based server, and the SDK. You can select to install any or all components.
OMG that is awesome. Now if I just had a good desktop client that could read those tables natively without middleware!
Actually JW, MapDotNet UX Studio does not require our web services based server to work. You can install Studio only, connect to spatial data sources, move data around, and design maps. Give it a try!
Is there any way you can package all of the direct connect drivers or at least use the ones that ArcGIS has installed. I’m a lazy installer and I don’t want to mess with glomming together all of the various C API parts and such that you need to connect to SDE.
That’s a good question. If memory serves, we don’t do that because the ArcSDE C API must be licensed. This may just be by virtue of a valid ArcSDE license.
I’ll post this as a question on our forum at http://www.mapdotnet.com/MDNForum/Lists/MapDotNet%20UX%20Forum. Being New Year’s Eve, a developer will probably respond after midnight tonight…
Also, we don’t require direct connect, but support it. I don’t think it has any bearing on your request.
i only do direct connects which is why I ask why can’t you look for the DC drivers in my AV desktop directory.
Robert: yes it does work with SQL Express which has all the spatial components.