Storing spreadsheets and .mxd inside .gdb folder?

Question

To set the stage. When you create a file Geodatabase in Arc, it then creates a .gdb folder in your connected folder. My supervisor has asked that once that folder is created, to move all documents (spreadsheets and .mxd) into that folder. He then likes it zipped together for storage.

But when I go to open the .mxd, which is now stored in the Geodatabase folder, I run into a lot of errors.

Is this practice suggested? Common? I’ve always just kept the file Geodatabase folder separate from my spreadsheets and .mxds. I just house everything in one new folder.

Answer 1

Never, ever, ever store any additional files in a *.gdb folder. Read the ESRI docs File geodatabases and Windows Explorer.

Even though File Geodatabases "look" like a standard folder to your operating system, they are meant as a storage container for (primarily) ESRI products, not ancillary products. I often keep a project folder, with a "data" sub-folder (where the *.gdb resides) and an "other" folder, for things like MXDS, XLS, or whatever else your supervisor might want to keep alongside the data.

Just because y(our) boss asks for something, as a GIS professional, it is y(our) job to educate your customers (or boss) on appropriate use of our technology, rather than be dictated to implement something incorrectly. Good for you for asking.