How to "save as" or copy a project in the ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap environment


Applies To   
Product(s): WaterGEMS, SewerGEMS
Version(s): 10.XX.XX.XX and higher
Environment:  ArcGIS
Original Author: Jesse Dringoli, Bentley Technical Support Group

 

Problem

How can I "Save as" within the ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap integrated environment? For example to start with a Seed (template) project and make a copy to start a new project. Or, for backup purposes.

Background

As of March 2025, the latest available versions of WaterGEMS, SewerGEMS and HAMMER for ArcGIS do not have a direct way to "Save As" within the ArcGIS Pro or ArcMap environment (reference #95864)

If you attempt to change the name of the project files or copy them to another location, this may break the connection between the various related files, and the resulting project will either still be referencing the original copy, or the Table of Content will contain a broken copy of all the element type tables.

Solution - ArcGIS Pro

ArcGIS Pro integration works by using a special Geodatabase file (.WTG.GDB) which acts as a "middle man" between the ArcGIS Pro project (.APRX) and the hydraulic model files (.WTG/.STSW and .SQLITE). The .APRX points to the .WTG.GDB and the .WTG.GDB points to the .WTG/.STSW, which then points to the .SQLITE.

To make a copy (to "save-as") of a WaterGEMS/SewerGEMS for ArcGIS Pro project:

NOTE: as of version 24.00.02.2X, this workflow may not fully work. In the meantime, a workaround is to ensure that the APRX, GDB and model (.wtg and .wtg.sqlite for WaterGEMS and .stsw and .stsw.sqlite for SewerGEMS) are all stored in the same folder. You should then be able to move or copy that entire folder and the connections should remain intact.

  1. Copy your .APRX file to a new folder and rename if needed. Note the other data stored alongside the .APRX file which may also need to be copied. See "home folder", "default geodatabase" and "Default toolbox" under Project > Options.

  2. Copy the .WTG, .WTG.SQLITE and .WTG.GDB files (WaterGEMS) or .STSW, .STSW.SQLITE and .STSW.GDB files (SewerGEMS) to the new location.

  3. Edit the copy of the .GDB file and modify the model folder path to point to the new location of the model. For example,
    1. Start a new Map in ArcGIS Pro, click Maps > Add Data > Browse, browse to the copy of the .GDB file, select the "ProjectMap" table within.
    2. Right click on ProjectMap from the Table of Contents and choose Open.
    3. Edit the path shown in the ProjectPath column and paste the full folder + file path to the new location of the model .WTG or .STSW file. 



    4. Right click on ProjectMap from the Table of Contents, choose to Remove, and choose to save the changes.

  4. Edit the ArcGIS .APRX file to point to the new location of the .GDB file. For example:
    1. Open the copied .APRX file. (close out of the previous project completely to ensure changes are saved)
    2. From the Table of Contents, click the data source button (gray can icon), click the first element type layer in the list under the geodatabase, hold Shift and click the last one. This will highlight all element types. Now, hold CTRL and click on pipe or junction to deselect it, then right click and choose to delete. You should be left with only the one layer.
    3. Right click on the layer corresponding to that one remaining element type (such as Junction), choose Properties, click Source on the left side.
    4. Click "Set Data Source" and browse to the location of the copy of the .GDB file. Select the respected feature class inside (such as "junction" for the junction layer) and click Apply > OK.



    5. From the Data Source section of the Table of Contents, right click on the entry showing the path to the old .GDB file and choose to Remove.

Now the copy of the APRX will be pointing to the copy of the .GDB, which will point to the copy of the model files.

Solution - ArcMap

ArcMap integration works by using a special Geodatabase file (.WTG.GDB) which acts as a "middle man" between the ArcGIS Pro project (.APRX) and the hydraulic model files (.WTG/.STSW and .SQLITE). The APRX points to the .WTG.GDB and the .WTG.GDB points to the .WTG/.STSW and .SQLITE

To make a copy (to "save-as") of a WaterGEMS/SewerGEMS/HAMMER for ArcMap project, ensure that the ArcMap .MXD file is set to use "relative paths", and manually adjust the path to the hydraulic model file:

1) When creating your "seed" model, save the files to the same folder (so the geodatabase .MDB file is in the same folder as the .MXD)

2) In the Seed project in ArcMap, go to File > Map Document Properties, and ensure the box is checked for "store relative pathnames". This will enable ArcMap to look in the same folder as the .MXD, for any associated/attached files, including the Geodatabase (.MDB). Be sure to save the project.

3) When you need to make a copy (do a "save-as") and use that model as a seed/template, copy all four files to a new folder - the .MXD, .MDB, .SQLITE and .WTG/.STSW (.WTG for WaterGEMS and HAMMER, and .STSW for SewerGEMS) If you have other files attached to your Map (.MXD), move those to the new folder as well.

4) Rename the .MXD, .SQLITE and .WTG/.STSW to the new file name as needed. Be sure not to remove the .WTG/.STSW that is also part of the .SQLITE file's name. For example "new model.wtg.sqlite".

Keep the name of the geodatabase (.MDB) the same (otherwise the .MXD won't recognize it.)

5) Open the geodatabase in Microsoft Access, open the table named "WaterGEMSProjectMap", then edit the "ProjectPath" field to change it to the new name of the model file. Change just the base file name as seen below, according to the new file name of the file in the same folder as the .MDB. Be sure to save the database, then close it when done.

6) Open the .MXD in ArcMap - it should recognize the .MDB file due to the "relative pathnames" option, and the .MDB should be pointing to the new hydraulic model name. Remember to click the name of the project in the Hydraulic Model Manager, then click the Open button to load it. See: How do I open a model that is already associated with an ArcGIS MXD file?


See Also

ArcMap .mxd is losing its association with a hydraulic model after moving all project files

How does the intermediate geodatabase (.mdb) file function in WaterGEMS for ArcMap?

How do I open a model that is already associated with an ArcGIS MXD file?