Problem: Project File Will Not Open because of an Inaccessible SQL Connection

Solution or Workaround

Project does not open due to inability to connect to a data base previously accessed by the project.

Cause:

When ArcView attempts to open a project containing an SQL table and is unable to connect to the database, an ODBC error occurs and the project fails to open.

Answer:

Open up the APR file in a text editor and do a search for the word 'connect'. The result is similar to this:

(SQLTbl.20
Name: "sql2.dbf"
Fields: 21
Fields: 22
Fields: 23
Fields: 24
Fields: 25
Fields: 26
Query: "SELECT * FROM `Date_Test`"
Connect: "Access Test Tables"

There is a section similar to this for every SQL table in the project. To remove this table from the project, and the corresponding connection to the database, edit the last line to look like this:

Connect: ""

In this case, the project connected to a DSN called 'Access Test Tables'. By deleting every occurence of 'Access Test Tables' from the project, leaving the empty quotes as in the above example, ArcView opens the project without attempting to connect to the database.

Article ID:000001557

Software:

Legacy Products

Get help from ArcGIS experts

Contact technical support

Download the Esri Support App

Go to download options

Project file will not open because of an inaccessible SQL connection

Solution or Workaround

Discover more on this topic