Pythonic way to recalculate feature extent in ArcGIS 10.2

Question

I am creating a tool that will automate a tedious process of data standardization. One of the steps is to recalculate the feature extent of a SDE file. Surprisingly I cannot find anything useful in regards to recalculating feature extent, except for a VBA script here: Recalculating full extent of File Geodatabase feature class? and a tool here: http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=576ebff497094274bdd7c76e456de6c3. Unfortunately I don't know VBA well enough to understand fully what is going on or how to incorporate it into my existing Python script, nor do I know how to call an add-in. Also I will not be the only one using this tool and I'd rather avoid making everyone who uses the tool download the add-in. I've heard about reboxing but it doesn't seem like it's used anymore. Does anyone have any ideas on what I could do or how to use the VBA script in my Python script?

If this answer works it sounds like by far the easiest way to do this. — PolyGeo, Feb 26 '15 at 21:27
I read something before that said if you compacted the database, it would recalculate the extents. I cannot confirm nor deny it, but I thought it could be something you look into. — Branco, Feb 26 '15 at 21:38
@Branco That may have come from another answer on the same question. — PolyGeo, Feb 26 '15 at 21:49
Compacting is actually the chosen answer for that question Branco. I'm not sure if I can do compression unless I can apply it to just one dataset. Polygeo, did you mean that the manual way of calculating extent (right click, properties, spatial extent, recalculate) as your suggested answer? I want to programmatically do this. Recalculating the extent is one step in a longer process of standardizing a dataset. — Tiffany, Mar 02 '15 at 17:09

score 3 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:34

Like in the comment of PolyGeo, Compacting database recalculates feature class extent, so here is an arcpy script to automate this task and also to make rebuild index and analyze:

import arcpy , sys , os , subprocess
arcpy.env.overwriteOutput = True

def main():

    db_path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "Connection_db_name.sde")
    arcpy.env.workspace = db_path

    #disconnect all users from the database.
    arcpy.DisconnectUser(db_path, "ALL")

    # Run the compress tool.
    arcpy.Compress_management(db_path)

    #Allow the database to begin accepting connections again
    arcpy.AcceptConnections(db_path, True)


    # Get a list of all the datasets the user has access to.
    # First, get all the stand alone tables, feature classes and rasters.
    dataList = arcpy.ListTables() + arcpy.ListFeatureClasses() + arcpy.ListRasters()

    # Next, for feature datasets get all of the featureclasses
    # from the list and add them to the master list.
    for dataset in arcpy.ListDatasets():
        dataList += arcpy.ListFeatureClasses(feature_dataset=dataset)


    # pass in the list of datasets owned by the admin to the rebuild indexes and analyze datasets tools
    # Note: to use the "SYSTEM" option the user must be an administrator.
    arcpy.RebuildIndexes_management(db_path, "SYSTEM", dataList, "ALL")

    arcpy.AnalyzeDatasets_management(db_path, "SYSTEM", dataList, "ANALYZE_BASE", "ANALYZE_DELTA", "ANALYZE_ARCHIVE")

    ##this feature class if not deleted may cause some problems in the next compress
    arcpy.Delete_management(db_name+".sde.sde_compress_log")

Geodatabase compression requires disconnecting all the users because When the Compress tool is executed, the geodatabase is unavailable until compression is completed

I can't disconnect all of the users from the database while this is going on, there are too many people using it. The process will be used one dataset at a time because not all of the data in the SDE are ready to be standardized so I want the compression to only apply to the dataset given in the initial parameters. — Tiffany, Mar 02 '15 at 17:04
in documentation of geodatabase compression they say When the Compress tool is executed, the geodatabase is unavailable until compression is completed — geogeek, Mar 03 '15 at 06:39

score 3 · Answer 2 · edited Sep 21 '16 at 09:36

Avoid doing compress in geodatabase, that is not really want you want to accomplish.

If you are targeting ArcSDE file all you have to do is invoke
sdelayer -o alter -E calc or sdelayer -o alter -E minx,miny,maxx,maxy
from Python using the subprocess module.

You can recalculate the extent of your table by using SQL CTE like this

with
  cte_envelope as
  (
    select geom.STEnvelope() as envelope from MyTable
  ),
  cte_corner as
  (
    select envelope.STPointN(1) as point from cte_envelope
    union all
    select envelope.STPointN(3) from cte_envelope
  )
select min(point.STX) as min_x, min(point.STY) as min_y, max(point.STX) as max_x, max(point.STY) as max_y
from cte_corner

score 0 · Answer 3 · edited Mar 07 '21 at 03:43

If you have a 'Basic' licence, try:

A simple way to recalculate feature extent in the event you have removed spatial features and are trying to zoom to the new extent is to move data into a GDB 'Feature Dataset'. On import the recalculation is performed, so when you 'zoom to layer' it zooms to the new extent of the feature class. I did it this way as the compress method did not work for me.

Pythonic way to recalculate feature extent in ArcGIS 10.2

3 Answers3