About Survey Databases

Databases are used to manage survey data, survey equipment, and survey figure prefixes.

Survey Database

In Autodesk Civil 3D, survey data is not drawing dependent and is stored in an external database. For display and visualization, survey data can be manually and automatically inserted into a drawing when the survey database is updated or when data is imported into the survey database.

A survey database contains all the control points, known directions, observation measurements, traverse definitions, figures, and standard deviations based on equipment data for the survey database. This includes observations imported from data collector files, entered from the Toolspace Survey tab, the survey editors (for example, Traverse Editor and Observation Editor), and Survey Command Window.

Use the Toolspace Survey tab to create local survey databases. You can subsequently create a new Autodesk Civil 3D Project from the existing local survey database. A survey database is displayed on the Toolspace Survey tab under the Survey Databases collection.

By default, survey databases are local and do not use the Autodesk Civil 3D project management functionality. You can subsequently create a new Autodesk Civil 3D Project from the existing local database. When a new Autodesk Civil 3D project is created from Prospector, a new Survey database is automatically created and must be checked out to add or modify data.

Note: Autodesk Civil 3D project management determines the working folder, therefore the databases that are displayed in the working folder may vary depending on whether you are logged in or logged out.

The Survey database consists of two files, the.sdbx file is the main survey database and it contains all the data in the survey database collections except for the Extended Properties definitions and values. The Survey .sdxx file contains the Extended Properties definitions and values.

Note: Survey databases from versions prior to Autodesk Civil 3D 2019 will be converted to Microsoft® SQL Server® Compact 3.5. New and converted survey database files have the file extensions SDBX and SDXX.

Important: To support a 64-bit operating system in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2011, survey database files, equipment database files, and figure prefix database files must be migrated to a new format. On the Survey tab in Toolspace, a database item that requires migration will display the "out-of-date" icon to provide a visual cue that it requires migration. To complete the migration, right-click the item and select the migration command.

Tutorial Exercise: Creating a Survey Database

Tutorial Exercise: Setting Up the Database and Drawing

Survey Equipment Database

The survey equipment database contains one or more equipment definitions.

Equipment definitions specify the values associated with a specific surveying instrument, such as the standard deviations associated with the measuring capabilities.

Note: Equipment databases that have been migrated to XML format have the file extension EDB_XDEF.

Tutorial Exercise: Setting the Equipment and Figure Prefix Databases

Survey Figure Prefix Database

The survey figure prefix database contains information to determine the layer that a figure is drawn on, how a figure is stylized, and whether figures are created as breaklines and lot lines.

When figures are imported or created, they are matched based on their names and the prefix names. When a figure is created and its name is matched with a figure prefix, the figure prefix properties are assigned to the new figure, such as a layer name.

Figure prefixes are also used to determine linework connectivity when you use the Process Linework command. Any point that is coded with a name that matches a figure prefix is treated as an active feature. The Process Linework command may begin a figure when it encounters a prefix match if there is not an active figure with the same name and if the current Linework Code Set setting Automatic Begin On Figure Prefix Match is set to Yes.

Tutorial Exercise: Setting the Equipment and Figure Prefix Databases