Having adopted the Microsoft 'look and feel', ESRI now support 'drag and drop between environments, so while one is working in Arc Toolbox, data sets can be dragged out of an ArcCatalog window and dropped into the Toolbox. Similar links are possible between other modules. ArcCatalog ArcCatalog is an excellent additional environment that acknowledges, perhaps for the first time, that the organisation of the multitude of files, and the folder structures, for a GIS project is far from trivial. ArcCatalog uses a Windows 'Explorer' style interface to allow data to be organised, browsed through and pre-viewed. Map data appears either as a set of thumbnails, or as full window maps.
Tabular data appears as browsable and sortable tables.
Given the complicated file structures and large number of files generated in ArcInfo, the Catalog goes a long way towards making the large amounts of data generated manageable. However, it also encourages good practice by providing both a repository, and good tools, for collecting metadata. There is little excuse for not documenting one's data sets now that such a good environment for handling metadata is available. This is yet another example of ESRI's pedagogic approach, which has an emphasis on teaching users both some of the theory of what they are dealing with and best practice. Hopefully these facilities will be used, though we know that however much the standards authorities and academics try to persuade users to generate metadata, it always seems to be the lowest priority in any project.