ArcGIS 9.3 Geodatabase Direct Connect For ArcGIS 9.2 Clients

ESRI has released a new patch that allows ArcGIS 9.2 clients to make direct connections against ArcGIS 9.3 geodatabases. ArcGIS or ArcIMS 9.2 clients that are running SP5 or higher will be able to install this patch which will allow them to connect to the new ArcGIS 9.3 geodatabases.

The ability to make a direct connection from an ArcGIS or ArcIMS® 9.2 Service Pack 5 or higher release client application to an ArcGIS 9.3 geodatabase allows sites to incrementally upgrade their ESRI® software. Various groups within an organization may have different requirements and timelines that necessitate their client applications remain at 9.2 Service Pack 5 while other groups want to upgrade to 9.3 clients. With the ArcGIS 9.3 geodatabase direct connect for 9.2 clients installation, you can upgrade your geodatabase to an ArcSDE® 9.3 release so your 9.3 clients can take advantage functionality present in the software at 9.3, and leave other users on 9.2 Service Pack 5 or later service pack clients—and they will still be able to make a direct connection to the geodatabase.

This is something new from ESRI, we haven’t seen them release forwards compatibility patches before. I think it’s a great idea as it allows users out there to incrementally upgrade to ArcGIS 9.3. This basically works by installing ArcSDE 9.3 library files onto the ArcGIS 9.2 SP5 or later client machines.

Installing this is a very simple exercise and you will be able to connect to ArcGIS 9.3 geodatabases in no time. Full information along with download links for this patch can be found on the ESRI Support Centre here: http://support.esri.com/index.cfm…