You are here: Geodatabases and ArcSDE An overview of the
Geodatabase The geodatabase is a "container" used to hold a
collection of datasets. There are three types: - File
Geodatabases—Stored as folders in a file system. Each dataset is
held as a file that can scale up to 1 TB in size. This option is
recommended over personal geodatabases. - Personal
Geodatabases—All datasets are stored within a Microsoft Access
data file, which is limited in size to 2 GB. - ArcSDE
Geodatabases—Stored in a relational database using Oracle,
Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, or IBM Informix. These multiuser
geodatabases require the use of ArcSDE and can be unlimited in
size and numbers of users. Comparing the three types of
Geodatabases Learn about creating geodatabases File geodatabases
and personal geodatabases ||A collection of various types of GIS
datasets held as tables in a relational database This is the
recommended native data format for ArcGIS stored and managed in
a relational database. |A collection of various types of G