Sharing GIS data is part of everyday work, whether it’s delivering a project to a client, distributing datasets to partners, or selling data under a use agreement. But once a file geodatabase leaves your hands, anyone who receives it can open it, copy it, and export it freely.
In this three-part video series, we use ArcGIS Pro (or ArcGIS All Source) to show how easily unprotected data can be extracted, and how Esri’s file geodatabase licensing tools let you lock it down. For the demonstrations, we used a sample file geodatabase containing a few feature classes, but the same steps apply to any file geodatabase you want to protect.
Part 1: The problem with unlicensed file geodatabases
In the first video, we show just how exposed a regular file geodatabase is. Anyone with a copy of the .gdb folder can add it to a map, view every feature and attribute, and export the data to another format in a few clicks. Nothing stops them from reusing, redistributing, or repackaging your work.
For many datasets, that openness is fine. But if your data is the product, represents significant effort, or is shared under specific terms, you need a way to control who can use it and for how long.
Part 2: Creating a licensed file geodatabase
The solution starts with the Generate Licensed File Geodatabase tool, found in the Data Management Tools toolbox under the File Geodatabase toolset. It creates a protected copy of your geodatabase plus a license definition file (.licdef) that controls whether its contents can be displayed.
In ArcGIS Pro, we opened the tool from the Geoprocessing pane and set three parameters:
| Parameter | What it does |
| Input File Geodatabase | The original, unlicensed geodatabase you want to protect |
| Output Licensed File Geodatabase | The name and location of the new protected copy |
| Output License Definition File | The .licdef file, needed later to create licenses |
After running the tool, our output folder held the original geodatabase, the protected geodatabase, and the license definition file.
To prove it works, we opened a new map, connected to the licensed geodatabase in the Catalog pane, and tried to add one of its feature classes to the map. The feature classes are visible in the catalog, but the layer fails to load with an “Access denied” error. The data is now license protected.
A few things to know before you use this tool:
- It’s a one-way process. Licensing suits mature datasets shared under a use agreement that need no further editing. A licensed geodatabase cannot be converted back to unlicensed, so keep your original safe.
- It applies to the whole geodatabase. You cannot license individual feature classes or tables to produce a mixed state in which some feature classes or tables are licensed and others are not. However, a licensed file geodatabase allows you to add an unlicensed feature class or table through operations such as creating a new, empty feature class, copying and pasting, or importing a feature class.
- Older geodatabases aren’t supported. Licensing doesn’t work for geodatabases created before version 10.1.
Part 3: Generating a file geodatabase license
A locked geodatabase is only useful if the right people can unlock it. That’s where the Generate File Geodatabase License tool comes in. It takes the .licdef file from Part 2 and produces a license file (.sdlic) you can distribute to your users.
Two optional parameters give you real control over how your data is used:
- Allow Export of Vector Data. Decides whether users can export vector data from the licensed geodatabase. By default, export is blocked, so recipients can view the data but not extract it.
- Expiration Date. Sets when the license stops working. Access ends at midnight on that date, after which the contents can no longer be displayed. Leave it blank and the license never expires, or set it for trials, subscriptions, or project-based access.
Once the license is created, the ArcGIS Client must register it. In ArcGIS Pro, this is done from the Licensing section on the Project tab: open Manage your Data Licenses, click Add, and browse to the .sdlic file. Until the license is added, the data stays locked. After registering it, the same feature class that failed earlier loads normally.
Putting it all together
The complete workflow in ArcGIS Pro takes just two geoprocessing tools:
- Keep your original geodatabase as your master copy.
- Run Generate Licensed File Geodatabase to create the protected copy and the .licdef file.
- Run Generate File Geodatabase License to create an .sdlic file for each client, with the export and expiration settings that fit your agreement.
- Share the licensed geodatabase and the .sdlic file with your users. Keep the .licdef private, since it’s what lets you issue new licenses.
- ArcGIS Client application registers the .sdlic file to unlock the data.
With this in place, you can share your data confidently, knowing it’s viewable only by licensed users, protected from export, and accessible only for as long as you choose.
Note: “Generate File Geodatabase License” & “Generate Licensed File Geodatabase” geoprocessing tools are available with ArcGIS Pro Standard or Advanced License.
References
- Generate Licensed File Geodatabase (Data Management Tools)
- Generate File Geodatabase License (Data Management Tools)
- Manage file geodatabase data licenses
As Product Lead, Geetesh focuses on Esri India Data Products, including Indo ArcGIS Living Atlas, Basemaps, and StreetMap Premium.
