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Question

How do I set the isNullable (Allow NULL) property for an attribute when writing to a feature class in an Esri SDE database?

  • September 12, 2022
  • 5 replies
  • 273 views

In an Esri SDE database, fields (attributes) have a property setting of isNullable (Allow NULL). This property determines if the field allows null values or not. I want to be able to set this property in FME when I create a new feature class. Is there a way to set this property with the Esri Geodatabase SDE writer? See screenshot below to see how to set the setting in ArcGIS Pro.

Allow NULL property

5 replies

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  • September 12, 2022

@ab_crd​ FME does not have an option to alter the Allow NULL setting on a feature class attribute. But by default all the attributes that FME creates will be Allow NULL


  • Author
  • September 12, 2022

@ab_crd​ FME does not have an option to alter the Allow NULL setting on a feature class attribute. But by default all the attributes that FME creates will be Allow NULL

@Mark Stoakes​  Thanks Mark, I'll figure out another way.


slingeman
Contributor
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  • Contributor
  • January 22, 2024

This is kind of a big deal, at least for ArcGIS Indoors. Many of the attributes for Indoors does not allow Nullable. So if using FME to convert your CAD drawings and the output is all nullable, the featureclass doesn't work properly for indoors.


capocci_nrs
Participant
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  • Participant
  • September 10, 2025

Has there been any progress or workarounds found on this query since last year?  


cfvonner
Supporter
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  • Supporter
  • September 16, 2025

The only workaround I can think of is to use Python and ArcPy to create the feature class exactly how you need it to be, and then just have the writer write the records into it.  You could either use a PythonCaller transformer, or put the Python script into the workspace’s Startup Python Script parameter.