Question

MapInfo to Geodatabase but geometry unknown

  • 13 August 2018
  • 4 replies
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I have a large number (> 1000) of mapinfo files that I need to convert into an esri geodatabase but i do not know the geometry of each mapinfo tab or have the time to find out each.

Is there a way to automatically convert to the correct geometry type when selecting folders of data?


4 replies

Your best bet would probably be to create a workbench that can handle all geometry types. What I generally do for CAD drawings with unknown content is to send all features to a GeometryFilter and from there send each geometry type (point, like, area) to its own writer feature type. That way you can be sure that all features end up in the database.

You can set these writer feature types so that each tab file will create its own set of feature classes by using the fme_basename attribute as part of the feature class name. For example, if your mapinfo files are called Tabfile1 through 9, you can create a set of feature classes called Tabfile1_point, Tabfile1_line, Tabfile1_polygon, Tabfile2_point, Tabfile2_line etc.

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Another option is to use the dynamic schema capabilities in FME, they are perfect for this type of scenario.

More info, tutorials here: https://knowledge.safe.com/articles/1050/dynamic-workflow-tutorial-introduction.html

Badge +9

Another option is to use the dynamic schema capabilities in FME, they are perfect for this type of scenario.

More info, tutorials here: https://knowledge.safe.com/articles/1050/dynamic-workflow-tutorial-introduction.html

Thanks David, I think this is exactly what I need to do and initial tests look very positive, although just failing to write correctly at this time.
Badge +9

Your best bet would probably be to create a workbench that can handle all geometry types. What I generally do for CAD drawings with unknown content is to send all features to a GeometryFilter and from there send each geometry type (point, like, area) to its own writer feature type. That way you can be sure that all features end up in the database.

You can set these writer feature types so that each tab file will create its own set of feature classes by using the fme_basename attribute as part of the feature class name. For example, if your mapinfo files are called Tabfile1 through 9, you can create a set of feature classes called Tabfile1_point, Tabfile1_line, Tabfile1_polygon, Tabfile2_point, Tabfile2_line etc.

Thanks also for your comment. It is great to see different options and will definately give this a try as well.

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