The Feature Data Objects (FDO) API provides access to data in a data store. A provider is a specific implementation of the FDO API that provides access to data in a particular data store. The FDO Provider for ESRI ArcSDE provides FDO with access to an ArcSDE-based data store (that is, with an underlying, supported Oracle or SQL Server database).

You can connect via ArcSDE to an underlying Oracle or SQL Server database. You can insert, select, update, and delete feature data in existing ArcSDE schemas. However, you cannot create or modify an ArcSDE schema.

To work with ArcSDE, you must install ArcSDE 9.1 and a supported data source, such as Oracle 9i, in the network. The host machine running AutoCAD Map 3D, for example, must also have the required DLLs (three dynamically linked libraries, sde91.dll, sg91.dll, and pe91.dll) and the PATH environment variable must reference the local folder containing these DLLs. To accomplish this, you can install an ArcGIS 9.1 Desktop application or the ArcSDE SDK. For more information about ArcGIS 9.1 Desktop applications and the ArcSDE SDK, refer to the ESRI documentation.

Furthermore, AutoCAD Map 3D uses facilities provided by ArcSDE for long transaction versioning and persistent locking. (ArcSDE supports one or the other, but not both, on the same class). ProductName uses the standard ArcSDE API and ArcSDE-supported storage on both the Oracle and SQL Server platforms. AutoCAD Map 3D does not use FDO metadata for ArcSDE schema—it uses existing metadata only.

If ArcSDE encounters curved segments, it converts them to a series of line segments that approximate the original arc segment (an approximation of the original geometry).

For more information, see The Essential FDO (FET_TheEssentialFDO.pdf) and the FDO Developer's Guide (FDG_FDODevGuide.pdf).