How can i store geographic files such as shapefile (.shp) in SQL Server database?

Question

I have some shapefiles with extension (.shp) in my pc. But I know that any single shapefile is composed of three mandatory files which are .shp, .shx and .dbf. These files are what makes a shapefile be recognised as shapefile.

I want to write some code in visual studio which enables me to browse computer location and locate such files and then if files are found I want to save them in a SQL Server database.

How can I check if a selected file is truly a shapefile? And what code should I write so as to work with these geography data in SQL Server?

I have heard that SQL Server supports Geography data.

Link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/spatial/spatial-data-sql-server?view=sql-server-2017

I have created windows form application and a button to browse the file.

Code shown below

  Private Sub BtnBrowse_Click(sender As System.Object, e As 
   System.EventArgs) Handles BtnBrowse.Click
    OpenFileDialog1.InitialDirectory = "E:\"
    OpenFileDialog1.Filter = "shapefile files (*.shp)|*.|All files 
    (*.*)|*.*"
    OpenFileDialog1.ShowDialog()
    txtFileName.Text = OpenFileDialog1.FileName

  End Sub

  Private Sub BtnSave_Click(sender As System.Object, e As 
   System.EventArgs) Handles BtnSave.Click
    Try
        'code to check if it is a shapefile



        'code to save shapefile in database 

    Catch ex As Exception
        MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
    End Try

    End Sub

I expect that When the BtnSave is clicked the code should check if a file selected is a shapefile, and if true, the files should be saved to sql server else it should throw an exception that the selected file is not a shapefile.

Look at gdal.org for the ogr library, there may be a binding you can use — Ian Turton, Apr 20 '19 at 17:44

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 25 '19 at 06:50

Basic understanding of shapefiles 1:

1) All the supporting files of a shapefile have exactly the same name and different extension. 2).shp,.shx and .dbf are mandatory and .prj,.sbn and.sbx,.fbn and .fbx,.ain etc are additional files

Snippet of your code with validity check codtions:

      Try
                if(abc.shp)
               { 
                if ((abc.shx) && (abc.dbf)) `This is the condition for valid shapefile`
 {
//code should fetch all the files with exactly same name and different possible extensions of supporting files. You can get the list in link mentioned below

  return valid_shapefile
        }

    }

How can i store geographic files such as shapefile (.shp) in SQL Server database?

1 Answers1