Client and geodatabase compatibility—Manage data

You can access geodatabases using various ArcGIS client software. These include the following:

ArcMap (including ArcCatalog, ArcGlobe, and ArcScene)
ArcGIS Server services (support connecting to file, workgroup, and enterprise geodatabases)
ArcGIS Pro (supports connecting to file and enterprise geodatabases)

Compatible releases

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.

The following table indicates which version of ArcGIS client applications can connect to which versions of the geodatabase:


Client release	File geodatabase release	Workgroup or enterprise* geodatabase using a direct connection	Enterprise geodatabase using an ArcSDE service connection
10.3.x	9.3.x, 10.x	10, 10.1, 10.2.x, 10.3.x, 10.4.x You can connect to 9.3 and 9.3.1 geodatabases to upgrade them.	10, 10.1, 10.2.x
10.4.x	10.x	10.1, 10.2.x, 10.3.x, 10.4.x, 10.5.x	10.1, 10.2.x
10.5.x	10.x	10.1, 10.2.x, 10.3.x, 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x	10.1, 10.2.x
10.6	10.x	10.2.x, 10.3.x, 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x, 10.7.x	10.2.x
10.6.1	10.x	10.2.x, 10.3.x, 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x, 10.7.x	None
10.7.x	10.x	10.3.x, 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x, 10.7.x	None
ArcGIS Pro 2.2 to 2.4	10.x	10.3.x, 10.4.x, 10.5.x, 10.6.x, 10.7.x (enterprise geodatabase only)	None

*Specific versions supported for enterprise geodatabases may vary depending on the database you use to store the geodatabase. The database version must be supported for both the client and geodatabase version. For more information on supported database versions and client connections made to enterprise geodatabases, see the topics appropriate to your database management system:

Functionality available when using mixed client and geodatabase releases

You do not need to upgrade the geodatabase to the current release to take advantage of the following functionality:

Python scripting with annotation and dimension feature classes
Editor tracking on tables and feature classes
Network datasets that include functionality for live traffic data, soft restrictions, preferred truck routes, and Python script evaluators
Mosaic datasets that include improved generation of seamlines and footprints, support for more raster types, additional properties, and tools to analyze the mosaic dataset for known errors or limitations

While ArcGIS 10.3.x to 10.7.x clients can open, query, edit, and save data in newer release geodatabases, they cannot open datasets that participate in newer functionality and will encounter the following error message when trying to open one of these datasets:

The version of the Geodatabase client is incompatible with the dataset and cannot open it.

For information on using mixed releases with replication, see Replication and geodatabase releases.

When do you need to upgrade a geodatabase?

You should upgrade if either of the following is true:

The client release you are using cannot connect to the geodatabase release you want to use.
You want to take advantage of functionality available in a newer release of the geodatabase.

For more information on geodatabase upgrades, see the upgrade topics appropriate to the type of geodatabase you are using:


File geodatabases	Upgrade file and personal geodatabases
Workgroup geodatabases	Upgrade geodatabases on database servers
Geodatabases in Db2 on Linux or Windows	Upgrade a geodatabase in Db2
Geodatabases in Db2 on the z operating system	Upgrade a geodatabase for Db2 on z/OS
Geodatabases in Informix	Upgrade a geodatabase in Informix
Geodatabases in Oracle	Upgrade a geodatabase in Oracle
Geodatabases in PostgreSQL	Upgrade a geodatabase in PostgreSQL
Geodatabases in SAP HANA	Upgrade a geodatabase in SAP HANA
Enterprise geodatabases in SQL Server	Upgrade a geodatabase in SQL Server

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