Now that you understand how to interact with ArcToolbox tools using ArcPy, you will have a basic understanding of how to improve GIS work flows using Python. In this chapter, we will cover data cursors and the data access module introduced in ArcGIS 10.1.
Data cursors are used to access data records contained within data tables, using a row-by-row iterative approach. The concept was imported from relational databases, where data cursors are used to extract data from tables returned from an SQL expression. Cursors are used not only to search for data, but also to update data, or to add new data.
When we discuss creating data searches using ArcPy cursors, we are not just talking about attribute information. The new data access model cursors can interact directly with the shape field, and when combined with ArcPy Geometry objects, can perform...