Attachments are not retained when exporting a feature layer in ArcGIS Pro

Description

Exporting a feature layer containing attachments to a geodatabase feature class or a shapefile in ArcGIS Pro fails to import the attachments to the output feature class or shapefile. The process returns a warning message, '001177: Attachments are not supported in this Geodatabase release'.

Cause

There are two known causes for the message to return:

• The geodatabase that the feature layer is exported to is from a previous release (prior to 10.0) that does not support attachments. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: 001177: Attachments are not supported in this Geodatabase release for more information.
• Shapefiles do not support attachments.

Solution or Workaround

Use one of the following solutions depending on the cause.

Upgrade the geodatabase

Upgrade the geodatabase to the most recent version before importing a feature layer containing attachments. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: When do you need to upgrade a geodatabase? for information on upgrading a geodatabase and the links for upgrade topics for each geodatabase type. The image below is the properties of a file geodatabase from a previous release. To upgrade the file geodatabase, click the Run Upgrade button.

Once the geodatabase is upgraded, export the feature layer containing the attachments to the geodatabase.

Ensure the feature layer is exported as a geodatabase feature class

Selecting a local folder as the output location when exporting a layer outputs a shapefile within the selected folder. To ensure the layer is exported as a geodatabase feature class, select a geodatabase for the output location.

1. In the Contents pane, right-click the layer containing attachments to export, and click Data > Export Features.
2. In the Feature Class to Feature Class pane, for Output Location, select a geodatabase.
3. Set a name for Output Feature Class, and click Run.