You work with geodatabase annotation feature classes in the Catalog pane and Catalog view much like you work with other feature classes in a geodatabase. You can create, rename, copy, paste, or delete annotation feature classes. You can also view and modify their properties.
Manage feature class properties
To access annotation properties in the Catalog pane, right-click an annotation feature class and click Annotation Feature Class Properties to open the Annotation Feature Class Properties pane.
Learn more about managing annotation feature class properties
Manage feature-linked annotation
When you create a feature-linked annotation feature class, a relationship class is created to link it to the feature class it's annotating. This relationship class can be managed like any other relationship class.
You cannot make a standard annotation feature class feature linked by creating a relationship class. A standard annotation class cannot be truly feature linked. You can, however, do the opposite. If you delete the relationship class for a given feature-linked annotation class, it becomes a standard annotation feature class.
Learn how to re-create this relationship class
Learn more about relationship classes
When you copy and paste a feature class in the Catalog pane or Catalog view, any linked annotation classes, as well as the associated relationship class, are also copied and pasted. The reverse is also true: if you copy and paste a feature-linked annotation feature class, the linked feature class (and relationship class) are also copied and pasted.
Learn more about copying feature datasets, classes, and tables to a geodatabase
Upgrade annotation feature classes
Caution:
Create a backup before upgrading.
ArcGIS Pro 3.0 upgrades the storage of annotation feature classes to support the full cartographic model of ArcGIS Pro. If you have annotation feature classes created in previous versions, you can display and query them and may have partial editing access. See the chart below for information. Once upgraded, the annotation feature class is no longer usable in previous versions. Feature classes linked to the annotation are read-only in previous versions. Feature classes in the same feature dataset as the upgraded annotation are also read-only in previous versions.
Learn more about upgrading annotation feature classes using the Upgrade Dataset tool
| ArcGIS version | ArcGIS Desktop annotation | ArcGIS Pro annotation 2.x | ArcGIS Pro annotation 3.x |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArcGIS Desktop 10.x | Full read, modify, and write access. | Not supported. Any feature class linked to it or in the same feature dataset will be read-only. | Not supported. Any feature class linked to it or in the same feature dataset will be read-only. |
| ArcGIS Pro 1.x | Read-only access. | Not supported. Any feature class linked to it or in the same feature dataset will be read-only. | Not supported. Any feature class linked to it or in the same feature dataset will be read-only. |
| ArcGIS Pro 2.x | Read-only access. | Full read, modify, and write access. | Not supported. Any feature class linked to it or in the same feature dataset will be read-only. |
ArcGIS Pro 3.x | Read-only access. | Full read access. Partial modify and write access. It may be downgraded based on symbols and annotation properties used. | Full read, modify, and write access. |
Note:
In an ArcGIS Desktop annotation feature class, graphics that are not text graphics are not supported by the upgrade process and will be deleted. A list of their OIDs will be created.
To bring these graphics into ArcGIS Pro for editing, you first must copy and paste them into a map annotation group in ArcMap. Once they are part of a map annotation group, you can convert the graphics into features using the Convert Graphics to Features tool or import the map document (.mxd) into ArcGIS Pro, and they will imported into the graphics layer.