Common Questions

The ArcGIS for Desktop Single Use software activation process allows you to install and activate the software on up to two machines. ArcGIS for Desktop Single Use customers that need to test their current production workflows with ArcGIS 10.1, can activate a 10.1 Single Use license on a "test" machine to validate their current workflow with the new software. When you are ready to upgrade your primary machine, deauthorize the license on the test machine and install and activate ArcGIS 10.1 on your primary machine.

For ArcGIS for Desktop Concurrent Use customers, you can continue to use ArcGIS for Desktop 9.x and 10.0 software with the ArcGIS 10.1 license manager. This means that you can upgrade the License Manager using the automated upgrade process mentioned above along with your licenses, but you don't need to upgrade the ArcGIS for Desktop or Engine software on all machines until you have completed testing your workflow in the 10.1 desktop client.

Yes, the ArcGIS 10.1 license manager supports ArcGIS 10.x and 9.x software.

Yes, ArcGIS 10.1 clients will be able to query and access data stored in 9.3.1 geodatabases. Additionally, 10.1 will support limited forward compatibility. ArcGIS 10 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) will be able to work with data managed by a 10.1 geodatabase.

Note: ArcGIS 9.3/9.3.1 clients will not work with 10 or 10.1 geodatabases, and administrative connections must be between clients and servers of the same release level.

When you upgrade your geodatabase to ArcGIS 10.1, ArcGIS 10 clients will still be able to connect to it. Esri recommends that ArcGIS 10 clients connecting to version 10.1 geodatabases use ArcGIS 10 SP2. This service pack contains several fixes to improve the user experience for connecting to version 10.1 geodatabases.

ArcGIS 10 clients can open, query, edit, and save data to a 10.1 geodatabase. However, they cannot open datasets with 10.1 functionality.

ArcGIS 10.0 for Desktop cannot share maps or tools as web services on ArcGIS 10.1 for Server.

Once a version 9.3.1 or earlier geodatabase has been upgraded, it can no longer be accessed from an ArcGIS 9.3.1 or earlier client.

Note: ArcMap cannot open map documents saved in a newer version of ArcGIS. To open a map document created in a newer version of ArcGIS, use the File>Save a Copy command in a session of the newer version to create an earlier version copy.

Yes, PostgreSQL 9.0.2 will be supported at 10.1.

Yes, ArcGIS 10.1 will support Netezza's TwinFin database through query layers. This will allows users to access and analyze data stored in this database even though it is not in a geodatabase via SQL queries.

At ArcGIS 10.1 there will not be an ArcObjects VBA SDK nor will we support new VBA development with ArcGIS for Desktop. There will be an optional separate setup for legacy VBA support in the ArcGIS applications. This will require an additional license authorization similar to ArcGIS 10.

We are making VBA available if needed so existing solutions can continue to work while the code is being migrated to .NET. We recommend all users with VBA code start migrating now to an add-in or custom extension using the ArcObjects SDK for .NET or Java. This is the end of Esri's support of VBA as a development or customization language for ArcGIS.

No. ArcInfo Workstation will not ship with ArcGIS 10.1. ArcGIS 10 was the last release of ArcInfo Workstation. However, ArcInfo Workstation 10 can be installed on the same machine with newer versions of ArcGIS for Desktop, allowing existing and legacy applications running AML to continue to work on that system.

For more information about Esri's deprecation plans for ArcGIS 10 and 10.1, please see the ArcGIS Deprecation document.

No. ArcIMS 10 was the last release. Its entire functionality has been replaced by ArcGIS for Server. ArcIMS users have been provided upgrade paths to ArcGIS for Server for a number of years. There are many reasons to migrate to ArcGIS for Server including performance, capability, quality of mapping, functionality, and ease of administration.

No. For users who want to install ArcGIS 10.1 and ArcGIS 10 on the same machine, Esri recommends using a virtualization tool (such as VM Ware's VM Workstation or Microsoft's Virtual PC) and install the new instance of ArcGIS on that virtual machine.

You can find the system requirements for ArcGIS 10.1 in the Resource Center.

ArcGIS for Desktop requires Microsoft Windows, so it is not directly supported on the Apple Mac OS X. If you have an Apple computer running Windows, you can install ArcGIS for Desktop using VMWare, BootCamp, or Parallels. Learn More.

The ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs for JavaScript and Flex are supported in Safari, the Mac OS web browser.

Custom applications built with ArcGIS Engine Software Developer Kit are supported on Windows and Linux. However, they are not supported on Mac OS. If you have an Apple computer running Windows, you can install ArcGIS Engine using VMWare, BootCamp, or Parallels. Learn More.

ArcGIS Runtime SDK for iOS can be used for application development of custom iPhone and iPad applications. Esri is working on a version of the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Mac OS. This developer kit will allow developers to create custom apps for the Mac OS platform.

No, ArcGIS 10.1 for Desktop applications are 32-bit applications that execute on 64-bit operating systems. However, Esri is actively working on native 64-bit platform support and expects to release some 64-bit Desktop application functionality relatively early within the 10.1 product cycle.

Python 2.7.2 will be supported at ArcGIS 10.1.