Using ArcCatalog

Toolboxes
The Toolboxes folder provides access to all geoprocessing tools.
There are three types of tools: system tools, models, and scripts;
all tools can be run from a dialog box or from a command line. The
system tools provided with ArcGIS let you analyze and modify
spatial data. You can create models to run a chain of tools in
sequence. Scripts take advantage of the command line to run
tools in sequence. Scripts are useful for batch processing, such
as converting many datasets to another format or running the
same model with a series of different input datasets.
All tools are stored in a toolbox. Within a toolbox, related tools
can be organized into toolsets to make them easier to find. A
toolset may also contain other toolsets. The toolboxes provided
with ArcGIS can be found in the System Toolboxes folder.
Toolboxes that you create can be found in the My Toolboxes
folder. You might create a toolbox to store system tools that you
use frequently or to store new tools that you have created.
ArcToolbox initially provides access to all System Toolboxes. You
can delete tools and toolboxes that you rarely use from the
ArcToolbox window. However, they aren’t permanently deleted.
You can always find them in the System Toolboxes folder and add
them to ArcToolbox again later if you need them.
To learn more about geoprocessing and toolboxes, see Geoprocessing
in ArcGIS or ‘Geoprocessing’ in the ArcGIS Desktop Help
system.
The Toolboxes folder provides access to all available toolboxes and their tools.
A geoprocessing model can run a chain of tools in sequence.
The History toolbox lists all the tools you have used, cataloged by date.
A toolbox contains a group of related tools. You can create your own toolboxes in the
My Toolboxes folder.
System tools are provided with ArcGIS to let you analyze and modify spatial data.
Related tools can be organized into toolsets.
Scripts take advantage of the command line to run other tools—for example, to
execute the same process on several different data sources.
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