MySQL is a widely popular Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) that is extensively used in website development, CRM systems, and more. However, when it comes to GIS applications, MySQL is not as popular as PostgreSQL or Microsoft SQL Server. MySQL does have support for spatial data, and it offers various data types such as Point, LineString, Polygon, and Geometry that allow you to store geographic coordinates, shapes, and other geometric objects in your database. Unfortunately, ArcGIS Pro does not support the spatial database on MySQL. So, the only way to connect is via ODBC.
While QGIS users can make use of MySQL’s spatial extension to store spatial data, it may not be as straightforward for ArcGIS Pro users to directly utilize spatial data in MySQL Server. If you are using ArcGIS Pro and want to work with spatial data, it might be worth exploring alternative databases or considering data migration options to fully leverage the spatial capabilities of ArcGIS Pro. You may want to check the officially supported databases and cloud databases on ArcGIS Pro. In this article, we will show you how to connect and open MySQL Database From ArcGIS Pro. Please note that we cannot write to the MySQL database from ArcGIS Pro.
Steps to Open MySQL Database from ArcGIS Pro
Step 1. Install MySQL ODBC Driver
First, we need to install the latest MySQL ODBC Driver for Windows. You can download the installer from the link below.
MySQL :: Download Connector/ODBC
Choose the platform that matches your Windows architecture (32-bit or 64-bit).
Step 2. Create ODBC Connection
Let’s create a new ODBC connection. Please read my previous article on how to create MySQL ODBC Connection on Windows. I will explain shortly here. First, open ODBC Data Source. You can search for this app from the Windows Start menu.
And then, we can create a new ODBC Connection for MySQL. Click Add and then choose MySQL ODBC driver from the list.
Give it the name and enter the MySQL server details
Step 3. Connect ArcGIS Pro to MySQL ODBC
Now it is time to connect our ArcGIS Pro to the MySQL Database. Open or Create a new project on ArcGIS Pro. And then go to Insert >> Connection >> Database >> New OLE DB Connection. The new connection wizard will open up. Choose Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers.
Click Next and choose the data source from the list that we made previously. Make sure to test the connection.
Press OK and you will see a new OLE DB Connection entry under the Databases in Catalog pane as shown below.
Now we can see the list of the table from our MySQL Database. We can open it in ArcGIS Pro as a table. Like I mentioned, we cannot edit this table nor store any spatial dataset (points, polygon, and polyline) into the MySQL database. We can open any Tables and Queries in the MySQL Database.