MapInfo Pro also enables you to access remote database data through its ODBC connectivity support and the Oracle Spatial Object support. The MapInfo Pro ODBC connectivity support supplies many ODBC drivers that you can easily install.
Oracle spatial databases store spatial objects with your conventional data in the same database. This enables you to read and write geographies in Oracle Spatial without the need for a middleware product or SDE. You also gain better performance through the Oracle Call Interface (OCI). In addition, Oracle applications can use this same spatial or non-spatial data through other interfaces (ODBC, OCI, JDBC, PL/SQL, HTTP, IIOP) or use other spatial or non-spatial commands (MapInfo Pro, ArcView, Intergraph, Excel, Forte, Formida).
For more about accessing remote data using ODBC connectivity, see Setting your Database Connection Preferences in the Help System.
For more about accessing remote data using ODBC connectivity, see Setting Your Database Connection Preferences.
Using the MapInfo Places on Open Dialog Box
The Open dialog box provides a quick way to look for maps you have created.
The Places box. Select the Workspaces Directory option in the Places box, to display the Workspace (.wor) type in the Files of Type list. If you select any other entry in the Places box, MapInfo (.tab) displays in the Files of type list.
The Open dialog box provides many ways to quickly find the maps that you have created in a variety of locations in your system and network.
When you select the Workspaces Directory option in the Places box, the Files of type drop-down list changes to Workspace (.wor) type. If you select any other entry in the Places box, MapInfo (.tab) displays in the Files of type list.
Opening MapInfo Pro Introductory Data
Precisely supplies introductory maps and refining data that you can use to plot your own information. This is a separate installation that is available on the MapInfo Pro DVD.
To access and open the sample data:
- On the HOME, TABLE, or MAP tabs, in the Open list, click Table to display the Open dialog box.
- Navigate to your data directory and double click the Data folder in the list.
- To open the data file, do one of the following:
- Double click the directory that contains the data you want until you see a list of .TAB files.
- Select the .TAB file you want to open and click Open to display it.
Using either method the data file opens.
We recommend that you play with this data when you first get started to get a feel for what data is in these directories and to become familiar with the process.
Opening Special File Types
There are additional file types that MapInfo Pro can read including rasters, grids, and shape files. For details about working with raster images, see Support for Raster Images.
Opening a Grid Layer
A grid layer is a type of thematic map that displays data as continuous color gradations across the map. To produce this type of thematic map, you interpolate point data from the source table. In MapInfo Pro, a grid file from the data interpolation is generated and displays as a raster image in a Map window.
To open a grid layer:
- On the HOME tab, in the File group, in the Open list, click Table to display the Open dialog box.
- Select Grid Image in the Files of type drop-down list.
- Navigate to the directory in which your grid image is located and click the file you want to open.
- Click Open to display the grid image.
Selecting Point Objects in Grid Files
Selecting point objects can be difficult in maps that contain hill shades and grids.
For best results when selecting most point objects, position the Select command in the center of the symbol. However, some symbols have a hot spot that you must hit. For the small flag on a pole (like those used to mark the hole on a golf course), the hot spot is at the base of the pole. In the case of arrows, the hot spot is the point.