Instructions provided describe how to import an ArcInfo interchange file (.e00) into a coverage or grid:

1. Open ArcToolbox.
2. Double-click Conversion Tools.
3. Double-click Import to Coverage.
4. Double-click 'ArcView Import from Interchange File' or 'Import from Interchange File'.
   
   'Import from Interchange File' brings up the same dialog box as 'ArcView Import from Interchange File'.
   
5. For the Input file, navigate to the directory location of the .e00 file to be imported.
6. Specify a name and location for the output dataset.
   
   More than one file can be imported by toggling the Batch button.

ArcToolbox crashes when performing the following operation:

When converting data to a new coordinate system using the Project Wizard for shapefiles and geodatabases, the output geographic coordinate system (datum) differs from the input geographic coordinate system. A prompt asks for the selection or the set up of a geographic (datum) transformation.

Before clicking OK in the geographic transformations window, be sure to select an existing transformation or define a new transformation. If this is not done, the following error message may occur:

"The instruction at <"0x........"> referenced memory at <"0xffffffff">. The memory could not be "read"."

The error message is repeated twice and the wizard will close.

The text between < > can vary; however, the text always contains: "0x........(eight alphanumeric characters)".

The cause of this is unknown at this time.

To workaround this select or define a transformation before clicking OK in the Project Wizard. To define a new transformation that will not change the data, set the method to Longitude_Rotation or Geocentric_Translations and set the parameters to zeroes.

When a feature dataset is selected in the Project Wizard, and a new feature dataset is specified as the output, only the first feature class in the selected feature dataset will be reprojected. The other feature classes will not be reprojected, nor added to the new feature dataset.

The cause of this is unknown at this time.

To workaround this run the Project Wizard again and select the remaining feature classes as inputs and the new feature dataset as the output.

Also, to avoid this in the future, one can create a new feature dataset with the correct projection first, then add all the individual feature classes from the source feature data set as inputs for the Project Wizard.

Steps to transform the coordinate location of CAD drawings using coordinate values from a reference dataset.

It is necessary to have a reference layer that occupies the coordinate space to which the CAD layer will be transformed. The reference layer should have features in common with the CAD drawing. This two-point transformation will transform CAD data only for a single map document. In order to use the transformed CAD data in multiple map documents, create a world file for it. See the Related Information section at the end of this article for more information.

1. Start ArcMap and add the CAD drawing to the new map document.
2. Find two points in the CAD drawing that can be easily identified in the reference layer; bridges or road intersections are good examples of such points.
3. Obtain the input coordinate values for the control points in the CAD drawing.

a. Zoom in on one of the control points.
b. Place the cursor over the point.
c. Write down the coordinates shown in the bottom right hand corner of the display view.
d. Repeat for the second control point.

If the coordinates change when the mouse is moved slightly, zoom in further.

ArcMap displays coordinates as X,Y.

4. Insert a new Data Frame into the map document and add the reference data to this new data frame.
5. Obtain the coordinate values for the control points in the reference data.

a. Zoom in on the corresponding control points one at a time.
b. Place the cursor over the points.
c. Write down the X,Y coordinates shown at the bottom of the ArcMap display.

6. Right-click the CAD layer name in the Table of Contents.
7. Select Properties.
8. Click the Transformations tab.
9. Click the radio button next to Coordinates in the 'Transform By' section of the Transformations tab.
10. Type in the two sets of coordinate values collected from the CAD dataset into the 'From X' and 'From Y' text boxes.
11. Type in the two sets of coordinate values collected from the reference dataset into the 'To X' and 'To Y' text boxes.

Make sure control point one is entered in the 'To X' and 'To Y' that correspond with its matching 'From X' and 'From Y' CAD coordinate location.

12. Remove the Data Frame with the reference layer.
13. Add the reference layer to the Data Frame containing the CAD dataset that has just been transformed.

Shapefile output from the ArcMap GeoProcessing wizard may have truncated field names.

For example, you have a layer in your map that has a field named WorldPopulation2001. If you use the GeoProcessing Wizard to clip this layer, the output layer retains all fields and values from the input layer, including WorldPopulation2001. However, the long field name is truncated to WorldPopul. Shapefile attribute tables are stored in dBase format (.dbf); thus, dBase field names are limited to ten characters.

To use longer field names in a Shapefile layer, set up Field Aliases. To avoid truncating field names, choose Geodatabase output when using the GeoProcessing wizard.

• To use longer field names in a shapefile layer:
  
  Create an alias for the truncated field name of the output. An alias only pertains to the layer in which it is set. In most cases, it will not carry over to newly created data.
  
  One exception is output from a Dissolve operation. In this case, ArcMap creates aliases in the output layer automatically.
  
• To avoid truncating field names:
  
  Save your GeoProcessing wizard output to a personal geodatabase. Personal geodatabase fields are not constrained to a length of ten characters.

You can use the ArcMap GeoProcessing Wizard to clip points, lines and polygons of various data types (shapefiles, geodatabase feature classes and coverages). When attempting to clip an XY event layer (a layer created by taking X and Y coordinates from a table) ArcMap fatals.

This happens because the GeoProcessing Wizard is not properly recognizing the XY event layer.

To workaround this convert the XY Event layer to a shapefile before clipping.

1. Right-click the XY Event layer in the table of contents (TOC)
2. Select Data > Export Data
3. Click the browse button
4. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the data
5. Name the output file and click Save
6. Click OK