Documenting inability to Start Editing SQLite geodatabase layers in ArcMap?

Question

I've recently started creating SQLite geodatabases using ArcGIS 10.2 for Desktop with both ST_GEOMETRY and SPATIALITE storage data types and was impressed by how easy this was to do.

I then tried to Start Editing them from ArcMap only to be blocked by an error:

No editable layers.

and a warning

The workspace containing this data cannot be edited.

I looked and could not find this limitation mentioned anywhere, and originally mistook it as SQLite being read-only to ArcGIS for Desktop.

Is the non-editability of SQLite within ArcMap edit sessions documented anywhere?

Lance Shipman · Accepted Answer

It's not strictly read-only access. You can load data via copy/paste and import into a SQLite or SpatiaLite database. Tables and feature classes can be appended to using append or Load Data.

You can edit the SQLite/SpatiaLite data via code as Insert/Update/Delete are supported.

What you can't do is open an edit session in ArcMap.

Luca Palli · Answer

In the documentation, it is alluded to that you cannot edit data in a SQLite database from ArcMap:

You can connect from ArcGIS to an SQLite database to create maps and perform spatial analysis on your data.

However, the only place this appears to be explicitly stated by Esri is in the ArcGIS Discussion Forum:

Yes; you cannot edit data in a SQLite database from ArcMap.

XavierR · Answer

It's not a good solution but it could be workaround if you got a license: edit Spatialite or GeoPackage database is OK in ArcGIS Pro (tested on 2.7.3).

Documenting inability to Start Editing SQLite geodatabase layers in ArcMap?

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