PROBLEM

The Delete Field option is disabled after exporting a feature class that participates in a parcel fabric

Last Published: April 25, 2020

Description

In ArcMap, after exporting a feature class that participates in a parcel fabric to a stand-alone feature class using Data > Export Data from the Table of Contents, the Delete Field option in the attribute table is disabled (grayed out) for some fields of the output feature class, as shown in the image below:

An image showing the Delete Field option is disabled for a field.

Cause

Some of the fields in an exported feature class are system maintained fields, and therefore cannot be deleted.

Solution or Workaround

To resolve this issue, use any of the following tools to export a parcel fabric feature class to a stand-alone feature class, rather than exporting from the Table of Contents:
  • Run the Feature Class to Feature Class tool
    1. In ArcMap, open the Feature Class to Feature Class tool.
    2. For the input features, select the feature class that participates in the parcel fabric.
    3. Specify the output feature class location and name.
    4. Click OK. The feature class is exported as a stand-alone feature class.
An image of the Feature Class to Feature Class tool dialog box.
An image of the Parcel Fabric Geoprocessing Tools download page.
  1. Locate and open the downloaded ParcelFabricDataMigrationAndAnalysis.zip file.
  2. Extract the files.
  3. Double-click the INSTALL To My Toolboxes GP.bat file to install.
  4. In ArcMap, add the Parcel Fabric Export and Reporting toolbox to the ArcToolbox by following the steps below:
    1. On the ArcMap main menu, navigate to Geoprocessing ArcToolbox.
    2. Right-click ArcToolbox > Add Toolbox.
An image of adding a toolbox.
  1. In the Add Toolbox dialog, click Toolboxes > My Toolboxes > Parcel Fabric Export and Reporting.tbx, and click Open.
An image of the Add Toolbox dialog.
  1. In ArcToolbox, click Parcel Fabric Export and Reporting > Export Fabric To Simple Feature Classes to open the tool dialog box.
An image showing the Export Fabric To Simple Feature Classes tool in the ArcToolbox.
  1. Set the parcel feature class as Fabric Sub Layer > OK.
An image of the Export Fabric To Simple Feature Classes tool dialog.
  1. Click Close. The resulting output data is stored in the default geodatabase in a feature dataset as ExportedFabricClasses with the name of the output feature class similar to the original layer.
An image of the completed dialog.
The following image shows that the Delete Field option is enabled for the fields after using any of the two tools to export the feature class.
An image showing the Delete Field option is enabled for a a field.

Article ID: 000015642

Software:
  • ArcMap

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