Adding join to table from Microsoft Access in ModelBuilder gives ERROR 999999?

Question

I am working on a model in ArcMap (10.4.1) that calculates habitat suitability over a series of timesteps. The data needed to calculate habitat suitability at each timestep is stored in a specific table located in a Microsoft Access database (.mdb file).

For each timestep, I would like to load in the data from the .mdb file (FVS_Output_n) and join it to a feature layer (colby_layer): enter image description here

When I tried to execute this join, I get the following error:

ERROR 999999: Error executing function. The Microsoft Jet database engine cannot find the input table or query 'GDB_ObjectClasses'. Make sure it exists and that its name is spelled correctly. Failed to execute (Add Join).

What is most confusing to me is that under a previous iteration of this model, I was able to join these tables without issue. I understand that with the newer versions of ArcMap there has been some reorganization of how GDB are structured, but I don't know enough to figure out what is really happening here.

• artwork21: Does the join work manually outside the model either in Add Join tool or in ArcMap table of contents?
• K. Credo: It works perfectly fine both manually in the table of contents and with the Add Join tool. Good question, should have included that detail too.

Answer 1

See Joining Fields from Multiple Tables to One Table in ModelBuilder? I believe your problem is that you need to convert your FVS_Output mdb to a table view via Make Table View tool first before creating your join. It's one of those Model Builder quirks that pops it's head up every once in a while for me. I assume that since your join works manually that this is your issue.

• K. Credo: Is this the case if the table in the .mdb is non-spatial? It is essentially an Excel type table of data. I am familiar with this problem with feature classes (first converting them to layers before the Join), but I wasn't sure if there was an equivalent for just tabular data.
• fatih_dur: @MaryBeth, would it be Make Table View instead of feature layer?
• MaryBeth: @fatih_dur - Yes, Make Table View for a table. Sorry, didn't catch that it was non-spatial table.