Error: A Failure Occurred Copying Features. the Index Passed Was Not within the Valid Rang

Error Message

Copying existing records over an SDE feature class fails with the following error:

Error:
A failure occurred copying features. The index passed was not within the valid range.

Copying records is done by using the context menu from the Catalog tree or using the Copy tool in the Data Management toolbox. For more information about copying records, refer to the following web help document, ArcGIS Desktop: Copying feature datasets, classes, and tables to another geodatabase.

Cause

Copying records into an SDE feature class requires matching schemas. For example, if one of the layers has a field with the name, ID, and contains a LONG data type, the copied data must contain the same field ID with LONG data type. A mismatch of the data type between the two features causes the error.

Solution or Workaround

As a workaround, use the Append tool, instead of copying the records from the Catalog tree or using the Copy tool. The No_Test option under the Schema Type section of the tool allows users to map the source to the target fields as desired. For more information on the Append tool, refer to the following web help document, ArcGIS Desktop: Append.