Attach Reports

Attach GeoDin PDF reports to ArcGIS Pro borehole points with an attachment key and the Generate Attachment Match Table tool

This workflow attaches GeoDin-generated PDF reports to the corresponding borehole points in ArcGIS Pro, so each feature carries its geotechnical report as an attachment.

Video chapters: 0:00 Preparing your data in ArcGIS Pro | 0:12 Enabling attachments on the dataset | 0:28 Reviewing the attribute table | 0:46 Spotting naming discrepancies | 0:58 Creating a field to correct names | 2:09 Generating the attach key | 2:25 Adding the table with geoprocessing | 3:18 Adding the attachments | 4:03 Verifying the results

Requirements

• The borehole point feature class in a file geodatabase - attachments are a geodatabase feature (created in Export to ArcGIS Pro).
• The per-object report PDFs in one folder (created in Generate Reports with Create a PDF per object).

Step 1: Open the target dataset

In the Catalog pane, locate the feature class that will receive the attachments and open its Properties.

Catalog pane - right-click the feature class and choose Properties

Step 2: Enable attachments

On the Manage tab of the feature class properties, enable Attachments. This must be done before any files can be attached.

Enabling attachments on the dataset

Step 3: Compare borehole names to report file names

Open the attribute table and compare the Full location name values against the PDF file names. Feature names use / (for example, BH2/CPT2) while the exported PDFs use _ (BH2_CPT2.PDF) - so a matching key is needed.

The attribute table with the Full location name values

The report folder - underscores in the file names

Step 4: Create a matching field for attachment keys

Add a new field named AttachKey with Data Type = Text, then save the field changes - an unsaved field cannot be populated. Afterwards, open Calculate Field on the new column.

Adding a field in the attribute table

Field name AttachKey, data type Text

Saving the field changes

Calculate Field on the AttachKey column

Step 5: Calculate the attachment key and verify the match

Calculate the key by replacing the slash with an underscore:

AttachKey = !Full_location_name!.replace("/", "_")

Verify the populated column matches the report file names exactly - even small differences in punctuation or spacing prevent a match.

The replace expression in Calculate Field

The corrected AttachKey column

Step 6: Create the attachment match table

Run the Generate Attachment Match Table geoprocessing tool:

• Input Dataset: the feature class.
• Input Folder: the folder with the report PDFs.
• Key Field: AttachKey - Input Data Filter: *.pdf.

Finding Generate Attachment Match Table in Geoprocessing

Match table parameters - Key Field AttachKey, filter *.pdf

Step 7: Add the attachments

Run Add Attachments with Input Join Field = OBJECTID, the match table from step 6, Match Join Field = MatchID, Match Path Field = Filename, and the report folder as the working folder. Click Run.

The Add Attachments tool

Join fields OBJECTID and MatchID, path field Filename

Step 8: Check the final results

Click borehole points on the map and confirm each pop-up carries its PDF report as an attachment. Spot-check a few records of both types.

A borehole pop-up with the attached report

Opening the attached PDF from the pop-up

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Working with attachment matching

The key exists because two naming conventions meet here: GeoDin object names carry /, exported file names carry _. The *.pdf filter keeps stray files out of the match table, and spot-checking after each major step (key calculated, table generated, attachments added) catches problems while they are still one step away from their cause.

For the equivalent workflow with 3D ground-model annotations from Civil 3D, see Attaching geotechnical reports to borehole annotations in the GeoDin Ground documentation.

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Next step: Publish the data with attachments to ArcGIS Online.