Export data

Exporting data allows you to share data with other users across multiple geodatabases and optionally change the format of the data.

This can be done in several ways:

• Using the context menu on items on the Project tab of the Catalog pane
• Using the context menu on layers or tables in the Contents pane
• Using geoprocessing tools

Note:

Exporting data using the context menu or geoprocessing options uses the Conversion tools in ArcToolbox. Refer to the Conversion toolbox help for information regarding these tools and their parameters.

Export data in a geodatabase

To export data stored in a geodatabase, right-click the geodatabase under the Databases folder on the Project tab of the Catalog pane and point to the Export drop-down menu.

Note:

You can also export data stored in a file or mobile geodatabase by right-clicking it under the Folders folder on the Project tab of the Catalog pane and pointing to the Export drop-down menu.

The Export drop-down menu provides the following options:

• Feature Class(es) To CAD—Converts all or a subset of feature classes contained in the geodatabase into one or more CAD drawings using the Export to CAD geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class(es) To Geodatabase—Copies all or a subset of feature classes contained in the geodatabase to a target geodatabase using the Feature Class To Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class(es) To Shapefile(s)—Converts all or a subset of feature classes contained in the geodatabase into one or more shapefiles in a target folder using the Feature Class To Shapefile geoprocessing tool.
• Table(s) To Geodatabase—Converts one or more tables in a geodatabase to geodatabase tables in an output geodatabase using the Table To Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.
• Table(s) To dBASE—Converts one or more tables in a geodatabase into a dBASE file in an output folder using the Table To dBASE geoprocessing tool.
• Geodatabase To XML Workspace Document—Exports the geodatabase's data or schema only to an XML Workspace Document using the Export XML Workspace Document geoprocessing tool.

Export data in a feature dataset

To export data stored in a feature dataset, right-click the feature dataset on the Project tab of the Catalog pane and point to the Export drop-down menu.

This menu provides the following options:

• Feature Class(es) To CAD—Converts all or a subset of feature classes contained in the feature dataset into one or more CAD drawings using the Export to CAD geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class(es) To Geodatabase—Copies all or a subset of feature classes contained in the feature dataset to a target geodatabase using the Feature Class To Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class(es) To Shapefile(s)—Converts all or a subset of feature classes contained in the feature dataset into one or more shapefiles in a target folder using the Feature Class To Shapefile geoprocessing tool.
• Geodatabase To XML Workspace Document—Exports the feature dataset's data or schema only to an XML Workspace Document using the Export XML Workspace Document geoprocessing tool.

Tip:

To learn how to export a subset of data stored in a feature dataset, see Export a subset of data.

Export feature classes

To export a feature class, you can use the context menu from either the Project tab in the Catalog pane or the Contents pane of a map or scene containing layers.

To export a feature class from the Catalog pane, right-click it on the Project tab and point to the Export drop-down menu.

This menu provides the following options:

• Feature Class(es) To CAD—Converts one or more feature classes into a CAD drawing using the Export to CAD geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class To Feature Class—Converts the feature class to another feature class using the Feature Class To Feature Class geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class(es) To Geodatabase—Copies the feature class to a target geodatabase using the Feature Class To Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class to Shapefile—Converts the feature class into a shapefile in a target folder using the Feature Class to Shapefile geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class(es) To Shapefile(s)—Converts one or more feature classes into one or more shapefiles in a target folder using the Feature Class To Shapefile geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class To XML Workspace Document—Exports the feature class's data or schema only to an XML Workspace Document using the Export XML Workspace Document geoprocessing tool.

To export a feature class from the Contents pane, right-click it in the map or scene and point to the Data drop-down menu.

This menu provides the following option:

Export Features—Converts the feature class to another feature class using the Feature Class To Feature Class geoprocessing tool.

Tip:

To learn how to export a portion of a larger dataset, see Export a subset of data.

Export tables

To export a table, you can use the context menu from either the Project tab in the Catalog pane or the Contents pane of a map or scene containing layers.

To export a table from the Catalog pane, right-click it on the Project tab and point to the Export drop-down menu.

This menu provides the following options:

• Table(s) To dBASE—Converts one or more tables in a geodatabase into a dBASE file in an output folder using the Table To dBASE geoprocessing tool.
• Table To Table—Converts the table to a dBASE or geodatabase table using the Table To Table geoprocessing tool.
• Table(s) To Geodatabase—Converts one or more tables in a geodatabase to geodatabase tables in an output geodatabase using the Table To Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.
• Table(s) To XML Workspace Document—Exports the table's data or schema only to an XML Workspace Document using the Export XML Workspace Document geoprocessing tool.

To export a table from the Contents pane, right-click it in the map or scene and point to the Data drop-down menu.

This menu provides the following option:

Export Table—Converts the table to a dBASE or geodatabase table using the Table To Table geoprocessing tool.

Export shapefiles

To export a shapefile, you can use the context menu from either the Project tab in the Catalog pane or the Contents pane of a map or scene containing layers.

To export a shapefile from the Catalog pane, right-click it on the Project tab and point to the Export drop-down menu.

This menu provides the following options:

• Shapefile To CAD—Converts one or more shapefiles into a CAD drawing using the Export to CAD geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class To Feature Class—Converts the shapefile into a feature class using the Feature Class To Feature Class geoprocessing tool.
• Feature Class(es) To Geodatabase—Converts one or more shapefiles into one or more feature classes in a target geodatabase using the Feature Class To Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.

To export a shapefile from the Contents pane, right-click it in the map or scene and point to the Data drop-down menu.

This menu provides the following option:

Export Features—Converts the shapefile into a feature class using the Feature Class To Feature Class geoprocessing tool.

Export a subset of data

To export a portion of a larger dataset, such as exporting only the features visible in the map's current view extent, complete the following steps:

1. Zoom to the area in your map that you want to use as your new full extent.
2. From the Contents pane, right-click the layer and point to the Data drop-down menu.
3. Click Export Features.
4. From the Export Features dialog box, click the Environments tab.
5. Under Processing Extent, select Current Display Extent from the drop-down menu.

   

To export a subset of data stored in a feature dataset, based on the map's current view extent, for example, complete the following steps:

1. Zoom to the area in your map that you want to use as your new full extent.
2. From the Project tab of the Catalog pane, right-click the feature dataset layer and point to the Export drop-down menu.
3. Click Feature Class(es) To Geodatabase to open the Feature Class To Geodatabase geoprocessing tool.
4. Click the Environments tab.
5. Under Processing Extent, select Current Display Extent from the drop-down menu.

Learn more about the processing extent or other geoprocessing environment settings.