ArcGIS client and enterprise geodatabase compatibility depends on the ArcGIS and database releases used. When your ArcGIS client and geodatabase versions do not match, your database release must be supported for both the ArcGIS and geodatabase versions. See the ArcGIS requirements for Microsoft SQL Server for the ArcGIS client version you want to use. Also ensure that the database client you install on the ArcGIS client machine is supported for your chosen ArcGIS and SQL Server versions.
You do not have to keep your geodatabase and ArcGIS clients at the same release, but it is recommended that you do so. Geodatabases and client software are designed to work together, and if you let one get too many releases away from the other, you risk encountering problems or unexpected behavior.
This is especially true when you use a mix of client versions at your site. A newer client can create newer dataset types in the geodatabase that older clients cannot access. For enterprise geodatabases, waiting too long between geodatabase upgrades may mean you have to upgrade the underlying database more than once before you can upgrade the geodatabase.
The geodatabase version for an enterprise geodatabase is stored in a system table and is available to the geodatabase administrator from the Database Properties dialog box. The version indicates what client version you used to create or upgrade the geodatabase. This geodatabase version is primarily used by Esri Support to troubleshoot issues; it does not entirely reflect the functionality available to you, because a lot of geodatabase functionality is implemented in the clients that access the geodatabase and not in the geodatabase itself.
Rules for mixed-release connections
The following rules apply for compatibility:
- ArcGIS AllSource 2.2 and earlier and ArcGIS 10.6.1 and earlier clients cannot connect to 11.0 and later geodatabases in SQL Server.
- Use supported versions of ArcGIS for your clients and geodatabase.
- You must store your enterprise geodatabase in a SQL Server release that is supported for both the geodatabase and ArcGIS release you use. The database client you install on the ArcGIS client machine must also be supported for your ArcGIS release. See ArcGIS requirements for Microsoft SQL Server for more information on supported database and database client releases. Use the Other versions drop-down list to see information for older software releases and other operating systems.
- ArcGIS clients also include the API for that client. Therefore, the same mixed release rules apply when accessing the geodatabase using API.
- When you use clients that connect to an ArcGIS Server service, such as ArcGIS Field Maps or ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS Server is actually the client to the geodatabase. For these cases, ensure your ArcGIS Server and geodatabase versions are compatible.
- To connect from a newer ArcGIS client to an older release enterprise geodatabase, apply the latest patch to the geodatabase for its release if one exists.
- Older ArcGIS clients can open, query, edit, and save data in newer release geodatabases, but they cannot open datasets that participate in newer functionality. You will encounter error messages when you try to access a new type of dataset from an older ArcGIS client, including the following:
The version of the Geodatabase client is incompatible with the dataset and cannot open it.
Failed to add data, unsupported data type.
- If you use geodatabase replication, the child replica geodatabase must be the same geodatabase release as or a later release than the parent replica geodatabase.
- You cannot use ArcMap to access datasets that participate in functionality that is specific to ArcGIS AllSource. For example, you cannot access branch-versioned datasets, utility networks, or datasets with attribute rules from ArcMap.
- If you use the Upgrade Dataset geoprocessing tool to upgrade specific datasets, you may not be able to open the dataset from ArcMap or ArcGIS AllSource 2.9 or earlier.