Answer
You have various options for reading or writing Smallworld VMDS (Virtual Managed Data Store) data using FME. Safe Software does not develop an in-house Smallworld reader/writer. The Smallworld readers & writers for FME have been developed by GE Smallworld and Spatial Business Systems.
The options for accessing data through FME are:
GE Smallworld reader/writer – FME Translator
Although shipped as the FME Smallworld Edition, this set of readers/writers is developed by GE Smallworld's core development team. There are different reader/writer versions for the different versions of Smallworld - 3.3, 4.0, 4.1 & 4.2. It is important to make sure you have the correct FME and magik components for your version of Smallworld. The functionality of the different versions of the GE Smallworld reader/writer varies considerably, depending on the version that is compatible with your version of Smallworld. The readers & writers are available as the
FME Translator through GE SupportCentral or your Smallworld reseller.
FME Translator 4.2.2 is the latest version of the translator and is compatible with Smallworld 4.2 and higher.
FME licensing: FME Smallworld Edition 32 bit.
For more detailed information about your specific configuration you can contact GE Support Central or Safe Software through our
support team.
SpatialBiz reader/writer for Smallworld
Spatial Business Systems have developed an extra cost plug-in to support Smallworld reading & writing.
FME licensing: FME Oracle Edition + SpatialBiz plug-in license from SpatialBiz
You can obtain additional information from
Spatial Business Systems Smallworld SOM for FME
The Smallworld SOM for FME extends the format reach of the Smallworld SOM. The Smallworld SOM for FME components are available from GE Smallworld. The Smallworld SOM for FME is not a Smallworld reader/writer as it does not access data in the Smallworld VMDS. It allows you to display data from different formats in the Smallworld GIS.
See a
demo for the Smallworld SOM for FME and also go to Alfred Sawatzky’s
blog.
FME licensing: You do not need an FME Smallworld Edition to use the Smallworld SOM for FME. You should select the FME Edition that matches the formats you need to read and display - in most cases the FME Professional Edition will be sufficient.
Smallworld XML
FME can also be configured to read a Smallworld XML export. The Smallworld XML export - available on the Smallworld Explorer .
FME licensing: Use the FME Edition that you need for the target (output) format.
Contact info@safe.com if you have questions about the most appropriate Smallworld plug-in for your transformation
FME Version
FME 2012 is compatible with most of the Smallworld readers & writers. GE Smallworld does validation testing on FME and their recommendation for FME compatibility with the GE Smallworld reader/writer is usually fairly conservative. In most cases we recommend using the latest version of FME with your Smallworld data transformation.