Limits on the size of database objects in an enterprise geodatabase are mostly dependent on hardware limitations. The limit on database object name size is the smaller of either the limit enforced by the database management system or the geodatabase limit. Limits vary from one database management system to the next. The types of characters allowed in object names vary by database management system but are also affected by how ArcGIS stores and queries the object information.
Size limits
Most size limits in a database depend on the database management system edition and hardware limitations. See the documentation for your database management system to determine size limits.
Number of characters in object names
The following table lists the maximum number of characters allowed by ArcGIS for each type of object name.
| Object type | Maximum bytes allowed by ArcGIS |
|---|---|
Database name | 31 |
Table, feature class, or view name | 128 If your database allows fewer bytes or characters than what ArcGIS allows, you are limited to the number allowed by the database. Consult the documentation for your database management system for its object name limits. |
Feature dataset name* | 159 |
Index name | 128 |
Field (column) name | 31 |
Field alias* | 255 |
Password | 256 |
User or role name | 31 When using operating system-authenticated users, ArcGIS tools may count the quotation mark delimiters passed to the database (see below), making this limit 29 in those cases. |
Version name* | 62 |
*Feature dataset names, field aliases, and versions are not database objects; rather, they are defined in geodatabase system tables.
Character type limits in object names
Database management systems have different definitions of acceptable characters for object names. Most allow you to use unacceptable characters if you provide the object name enclosed in delimiters, such as double quotation marks.
However, ArcGIS does not add delimiters when querying objects in the database. Do not create any tables, feature classes, indexes, databases, users, roles, or other object names that require delimiters if you will use them with ArcGIS. The object will be created in the database, but you cannot access it from ArcGIS.
Similarly, delimiters are not added when you create database objects, such as a table or database, from ArcGIS. If the name you provide when you create the object uses character casing that the database does not support unless the text is inside delimiters, the underlying database changes the casing. This could result in you receiving an error message indicating the object does not exist the next time you attempt to access the object.
Note:
Microsoft SQL Server usernames containing special characters are delimited to fully support Windows Active Directory Groups and Windows Authenticated logins; however, ArcGIS does not support usernames containing single quotation marks or apostrophes.