Using ArcCatalog

Working with shapefiles
12
IN THIS CHAPTER
• Creating new shapefiles and
dBASE tables
• Adding and deleting attributes
• Creating and updating indexes
The Catalog lets you create new shapefiles and dBASE tables and modify
them by adding, deleting, and indexing attributes. You can also define a
shapefile’s coordinate system and update its spatial index. While you can
change the structure and properties of a shapefile in ArcCatalog, you must
use ArcMap to modify its features and attributes—for example, to add
values into a new column by performing a calculation on values in another
column.
• Defining a shapefile’s coordinate
system
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