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GEODATABASE_SDE writer ignores table qualifier on 'Create if Needed' or 'Drop and Create'

  • February 3, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 15 views

artw
Contributor
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Apologies if this has already been asked - seems like it should already have been reported.

FME Form 2025.0.1
FeatureWriter Version 0
Writing to Esri Geodatabase on MSSQL Server 2019

When using either Create if Needed, or Drop and Create table handling, the geodatabase_sde writer appears to ignore the table qualifier set on the feature type.
 


The table gets successfully created, visible in SSMS - but under the default user database schema eg: domain\john.smith.FeatureClass1
 


However the flow then fails because at some stage it does take into account the table qualifier and is looking for a table called sde.FeatureClass1

An error occurred while attempting to create the table 'sde.FeatureClass1'. The error number from ArcObjects is: '-2147220655'. The error message from ArcObjects is: {DBMS table not found [{dbname}.sde.FeatureClass1]}


The user has appropriate permissions on the sde schema
(Note: It is an Esri requirement that the users default database schema name matches the username, so the default can’t just be changed in SSMS)

 

1 reply

desiree_at_safe
Safer
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Hi ​@artw 

What version of ArcGIS Pro and the Geodatabase do you have installed?

As a quick check outside of FME: using the exact same .sde connection file, is the user able to manually create a Feature Class named sde.FeatureClass1 directly inside ArcGIS Pro?

It’s possible there’s a mismatch between how FME is instructing the table creation versus how the default schema is being handled; that ArcObjects error -2147220655 (DBMS table not found) is especially interesting.

Would you also be willing to share a full log file with Log Debug enabled first:

 Utilities > FME Options > Translation > Log Debug