Import From Interchange File (Coverage)

This tool only works with an ArcInfo license and will only be available in ArcToolbox if you have installed ArcInfo Workstation.

Converts an ARC/INFO export interchange file.

Learn more about how Import From Interchange File works

Usage tips

• In ModelBuilder, you should specify the feature type of the data being imported. The AUTO option does not set the properties of the output variable in the model, because the data type is unknown until the process is executed. For example, if the .e00 file contains a coverage, set the feature type to COVER so the output variable may be connected to any other process that requires a coverage as input.

• IMPORT reads any export file that has been fully or partially compressed as well as decompressed. IMPORT automatically recognizes whether the export file is compressed.

• For the COVER option, all INFO data files saved in the interchange file whose names contain the coverage name prior to the last period in the INFO data file name are written to the workspace INFO database for the output coverage.

• Any INFO pathname/username can be specified as the output data file when the INFO option is used. However, the specified INFO directory must exist prior to using IMPORT.

• The AUTO option determines what is contained in an import file, then imports it correctly.

• The STACK option will work in one of two ways. If the interchange file was made by the EXPORT command with the STACK option, then only the stack directory will be re-created. None of the grids associated with the stack will be re-created. If the interchange file was made by the EXPORT command with the STACKALL option, then both the stack directory and the grids associated with that stack are re-created. Only the grids that do not presently exists in the workspace will be re-created.

• ArcCatalog doesn't show ArcInfo .e00 files by default, but it is easy to configure ArcCatalog to show them. From the Tools pulldown menu, choose the Options command, click the File Types tab, then click the New Type button. In the dialog that appears, type "e00" into the File extension field (be sure to use zeros, not the letter "O"), type a description such as "Export File" into the Description of type field, click Change Icon and choose an icon, then click OK. Click OK on the Options dialog box. ArcCatalog will refresh and show you .e00 files.

• An exported grid file will much larger than the original grid, even when Full compression is used. This is because each grid cell must be represented in the export file in ASCII format, which is less efficient than the grid's binary format. Also, integer grids are stored in a compressed format, which cannot be maintained in the export file.

• The following environments affect this tool: derivedPrecision, newPrecision, projectCompare, scratchWorkspace, and current workspace.