Web Mapping Illustrated: Using Open Source GIS Toolkits

ArcSDE is ESRI's spatial plug-in for SQL Server, Oracle, and DB2 databases. It is also known as Spatial Database Engine, but most commonly as simply SDE.

• SDE is supported directly by MapServer.

• MapServer 4.4 supports SDE 9, 8, and SDE for coverages on Linux, Windows, and Solaris platforms.

• Recent developments in MapServer (v4.4) have added support for SDE raster layers. Using raster layers is beyond the scope of this guide.

Connecting to SDE

1. Install the SDE client libraries from the SDE CDs.

2. Compile MapServer with SDE support.

3. Define the layer in the map file.

Map file example

1. Specify CONNECTIONTYPE SDE

2. Define the CONNECTION as: hostname,instancename,databasename,username,password

3. Define the DATA as: tablename, geometrycolumn

For example:

LAYER NAME test TYPE POLYGON CONNECTION "sde.dms.ca,port:5151,sde,user,password" CONNECTIONTYPE SDE DATA "NTDB.WATER,SHAPE" CLASS ... END END

For more about SDE and MapServer, see the MapServer documentation page at http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/doc, or search the reference documentation.