Getting Started with the ArcMap Client

An ArcMap WaterCAD hydraulic model consists of:

A WaterCAD .mdb file—this file contains all modeling data, and includes everything needed to perform a calculation.
A WaterCAD hydraulic model file—this file contains data such as annotation and color-coding definitions.
A geodatabase association—a hydraulic model must be linked to a new or existing geodatabase.

Note: You must be in an edit session (Click the ArcMap Editor button and select the Start Editing command) to access the various WaterCAD editors (dialogs accessed with an ellipsis (...) button) through the Property Editor, Alternatives Editor, or FlexTables, even if you simply wish to view input data and do not intend to make any changes.

There are a number of options for creating a model in the ArcMap client:

Create a model from scratch—You can create a model in ArcMap. You’ll first need to create a new hydraulic model and attach it to a new or existing geodatabase. See Managing Projects In ArcMap and Attach Geodatabase Dialog for further details. You can then lay out your network using the WaterCAD toolbar. See Laying out a Model in the ArcMap Client .
Open a previously created WaterCAD hydraulic model—You can open a previously created WaterCAD model. If the model was created in the Stand Alone version, you must attach a new or existing geodatabase to the hydraulic model. See Managing Projects In ArcMap and Attach Geodatabase Dialog for further details.
Import a model that was created in another modeling application—You can import a model that was created in SewerCAD or EPA SWMM. See Importing Data From Other Models for further details.

Note: You cannot use a WaterCAD .mdb file as a geodatabase. Make sure that you do not attempt to use the same file name for both the WaterCAD database (stsw.mdb) and the geodatabase .mdb.