Importing e00 files to Coverages

Importing ArcInfo Interchange files (e00) to ArcInfo Coverages

Some data sets are delivered in ArcInfo Interchange file format (*.e00). In order to use these files with ArcGIS (ArcView), they must be imported to ArcInfo coverages at which point they can be exported to shapefile format (native to ArcView). The following procedure outlines the steps necessary to import an Interchange File.

Importing an "e00" file for use in ArcView

Run ArcGIS 9.1.
Run ArcCatalog by clicking on the button .

If the dropdown menu "Conversion Tools" can't be seen, select Tools > Customize > Toolbars.

Check the box for the ArcView 8.x Tools toolbar and click Close. The new toolbar is now available. Dock the toolbar by dragging it to the top of the ArcCatalog window.

From the Conversion tools dropdown list, select "Import from Interchange File".

The ArcView Import from Interchange File dialogue box appears. Beside Input File, use the browse button to find the "e00" file. Select the file and click OPEN.

Beside Output dataset, use the browse button to define the location and file name of the output dataset. You must give a file name with NO EXTENSION (the tool automatically does this for you). In the sample below, the output dataset is given the name "ct539". You must also be sure to define a path WITHOUT spaces or you will get an error message.

If you are importing more than one interchange file, click on the Batch option. For each new interchange file you want to import click on the "Add row" button .

When you are finished defining the interchange files to import, click OK. The file is imported to a coverage file and is now ready to use in ArcView.

Converting a Coverage to a Shapefile

Coverages are stored in coverage workspaces and contain feature classes. All feature classes in a coverage share a common coordinate system. In the graphic below, "ct539" is a coverage; and arc, label, polygon, and tic are feature classes. Notice that coverages can contain more than one feature class. The names for feature classes in a coverage are predefined in the coverage data model. You can change the name of a coverage, but not the names of its feature classes.

Shapefiles store a single feature class in a file-based format. In the graphic above, the file "ct539_niag" is a shapefile.

It is more convenient and faster to work with shapefiles, although both file formats are functional in ArcMap.

To convert a coverage to a shapefile, add the coverage layer to ArcMap, then right-click the coverage and select Data > Export Data.
Define a file name and location and click OK. When prompted to add the exported layer to the map document, click OK.

The shapefile does not depend on the coverage file, therefore, it is ok to delete the coverage altogether, using ArcCatalog.

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