Copying feature classes from Personal Geodatabase to File Geodatabase using ArcPy?

Question

I have huge amount of personal geodatabases that contain dataset and feature classes (one dataset with four feature classes and one feature classes outside of the dataset in each mdb).

I want to create a file geodatabase for each of mdb and copy the dataset and feature classes in the file geodatabases.

For creating file geodatabse i use the below code but i don't know how to copy the datasets and feature classes to the file geodatabase programmatically.

import arcpy,os
for file in os.listdir(r"X:\test\2"):
    if file.endswith(".mdb"):
        arcpy.CreateFileGDB_management(r"X:\test\2",file[:-4],"CURRENT")

Answer 1

The following script converts all of the feature datasets and feature classes of a personal geodatabase to a new file geodatabase.

---

import arcpy, os

# Set the in and out workspaces
inws = r'C:\temp'
outws = r'C:\temp\outws'

# List the Access Databases
arcpy.env.workspace = inws
mdbs = arcpy.ListWorkspaces(workspace_type = "Access")

count = 1
for m in mdbs:
    # Define output FGDB name
    fgdb_name = os.path.basename(m).split(".")[0] + ".gdb"

    # Create a new FGDB
    arcpy.CreateFileGDB_management(outws, fgdb_name)

    # Copy any FCs that are directly in personal geodatabase
    arcpy.env.workspace = os.path.join(inws, m)
    fcs = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses()
    for fc in fcs:
        arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(fc, os.path.join(outws, fgdb_name, fc))

    # Report on processing status
    print "%s of %s personal databases converted to FGDB" % (count, len(mdbs))
    count += 1

    # List the feature dataset
    arcpy.env.workspace = os.path.join(inws, m)
    fds = arcpy.ListDatasets()
    for f in fds:
        # Determine FDS spatial reference
        desc = arcpy.Describe(f)
        sr = desc.spatialReference

        # Copy FDS to FGDB
        arcpy.CreateFeatureDataset_management(os.path.join(outws, fgdb_name), f, spatial_reference = sr)

        # Copy the FCs to new FDS
        arcpy.env.workspace = os.path.join(inws, m, f)
        fcs = arcpy.ListFeatureClasses()
        for fc in fcs:
            arcpy.CopyFeatures_management(fc, os.path.join(outws, fgdb_name, f, fc))

Answer 2

Assuming that your code is working OK to create file geodatabases with the same names as your personal geodatabases, I think your next steps should be to:

• use ListDatasets to produce a list of feature datasets in your Personal Geodatabase, and then
• use Create Feature Dataset to create new ones with the same names in your File Geodatabase.

Answer 3

From the answer above, you need to replace where it says:

desc = arcpy.Describe(f)

by this:

f_path = os.path.join(inws, m, f)
desc = arcpy.Describe(f_path)

Otherwise, after copying the first encountered dataset and facing the second dataset from the list, the Describe function cannot find the dataset and it will pop-up an error.