Import metadata created with Workstation ArcInfo using DOCUMENT

Summary

If you created metadata for your dataset using Workstation ArcInfo's DOCUMENT command, ArcCatalog won't be able to access that metadata. DOCUMENT stores metadata in a series of INFO tables within the dataset's workspace, and ArcCatalog stores metadata in XML format alongside the data. To convert the metadata from one format to the other, you must export the metadata from DOCUMENT and import the metadata with ArcCatalog.

Procedure

1. In Workstation ArcInfo, export your metadata using the DOCUMENT command with the FILE option.
2. Open the output file in a text editor. The second line contains several dashes followed by the output file's path. Delete this line and save the file.
3. You can successfully import this file with ArcCatalog using the FGDC CSDGM (TXT) importer.
   
   

   Note:
   The output file from DOCUMENT closely resembles the text format recognized by the FGDC's metadata parser utility, mp, but doesn't match it. If you want, you can use the FGDC's pre-parser tool, cns, to fix some of the errors in the file before importing. If you do not fix the errors, your imported metadata may not display correctly. If ArcCatalog can't find a piece of information in its expected location, the information can't be displayed.
   
   To obtain cns and other FGDC metadata tools, click the Metadata Tools link below. 
   
   For more information on the issues with creating FGDC-compliant metadata from metadata created with DOCUMENT.AML, see the USGS link below.