Check Out or Copy Out?

You have two choices when using the ArcPad Data Manager in ArcMap to prepare data for ArcPad, Check Out or Copy Out. ‘What’s the difference?’ I hear you ask.

Check Out

Choosing Check Out means that an single AXF file will be created for all selected vector layers and their related tables. These layers can be edited in arcpad, and the edits can be checked back into the geodatabase. The AXF file created during check out contains data tables, feature tables, feature layers, forms, symbology, scripts, icons. You add and edit features to an AXF file in ArcPad in just the same way you do for a shapefile however, ArcPad’s default feature properties dialog box has been improved in ArcPad 7.1 so that it can automatically display subtypes, domains and relationship classes that were defined in the source geodatabase. a new tab has also been added to the feature properties dialog to represent related tables, where you can view, add, edit, delete related records.

Copy Out

Choosing Copy Out means that a shapefile will be created for that layer. Read only shapefiles are very fast to draw on low memory devices and are recommended for large vector layers used as background information eg: contour files or cadastre. Edits made to shapefiles can not be checked in to a geodatabase in ArcPad 7.1 reaffirming that the copy out feature should only be used for read only layers. You will see that Copy Out is the only option available for raster layers, as these are not edited in ArcPad. If you have multiple raster layers to copy out (along with some vector layers to check out), it is recommended that you first ‘select all for copy out’ and then immediately click ‘select all for check out’. This will leave the raster layers selected and reselect the vector layers for check out rather than copy out.