How to add a data source

The steps below provide general guidance for adding any data source other than a Portal for ArcGIS to Spatial Explorer. Refer to the separate instructions forAdding an ArcGIS Portal.

  1. Click Add new data source.
  2. Select the data source type you want to use.
  3. If you want to add a shape file, raster file, or geodatabase, browse to and select the file or the geodatabase folder, and then click Open.
  4. If you want to add a feature service, map service, or WMS service, provide the URL for the service as well as a display name, and then click Connect. You are prompted for a user name and password if these are required to access the service.
  5. If you want to add an SDE database:
    1. Select whether you are connecting to an Oracle or SQL Server database server.
    2. Provide a valid SDE database server name and a display name (the display name is the name you want to display in the Data Source list for this data source).
    3. Enter a valid username and password, and then click Log on.
    4. Select the database(s) you want to connect to.
    5. Click Done. The SDE database appears in the Data Source list with the display name you provided in step 5b.

If you are using an Oracle database, please follow this additional requirement: After you install the Oracle client on your computer, copy the Oracle.DataAcess.dllfrom the Oracle client home directory (%ORACLE_HOME%\ODP>NET\bin\2.x) and paste into the relevant application installation directory. Paths are below:

If you are opening Spatial Explorer from Kingdom, copy the file to the Kingdom installation directory: (C:\Program Files\SPGlobal\KingdomSuite\TKS <version>)

If you are opening Spatial Explorer from Harmony, the Spatial Explorer installation directory is C:\Program Files\SPGlobal\Spatial Explorer <version>
If you use both, copy the .dll file to both places.

After you add a data source, that data source and any layers it includes appear in the Data Source list. Data sources are grouped by type.

When you first add a data source, the data source and any data layers they include may appear outlined in red. This indicates that the data source contains no valid data or the data it includes lies outside the project bounds.

Relinking data sources

Existing data sources may also appear in red when starting Spatial Explorer. This means that Spatial Explorer can no longer access that particular data source. This can occur if the data source is no longer available (such as a missing shape file) or if you need to provide the credentials for the data source again (such as a map service, WMS service, or portal).

  1. Click Refresh icon on the data source highlighted in red.
  2. If the data source is a map service, WMS service, or feature service, you may prompted to provide the user name and password if credentials are required.
  3. If the data source is a shape file, remove it from the Data Source list and add it again from its new location.