I’ve had a few questions lately about the SQL Server and Oracle datastores created by Map 3D 2011.
These datastores have a number of Metadata tables that are in the database. (For example, F_CLASSDEFINITION or F_ATTRIBUTEDEFINTION). These tables are created by Map 3D for managing data and classes within the database. Map 3D even adds a REVISION NUMBER and CLASSID to the table that stores you geographic data.
However, many people wish to store their data in a more Generic SQL Server or Oracle way and not leverage the metadata tables that Map 3D creates. Map 3D calls these Foreign Datastores.
If you choose to do this, you may find it difficult to create tables on the fly through BULK COPY within Map 3D. (you can automatically create tables this way if you utilize the metadata that Map 3D creates).
Note: Bulk Copy works fine with Foreign Datastores if the tables are already set up in the database.
So how do I load data from Scratch without Map 3D? Let’s start with a SHAPEFILE…
First ORACLE:
Just download the FDO2FDO tool from SL-KING. You can use the Express Fdo2Fdo > SHP to Oracle.
This works nicely, but there is not a SQL Server Express component, and I’ve had problems using FDO2FDO with SQL Server…so..
Use Morten Nielsen’s SHAPE2SQL tool. This is a really nice tool. I like that you can set the SRID.
And then the data is in SQL Server 2008 and Oracle…you can connect with Map 3D 2011 and edit, delete and add all the spatial data you wish.
Then you can draw directly into SQL Server or Oracle from within Map 3D 2011.
There Be Dragons - Uncharted Internet Mapping 
Most of the problems bulk copying to SQL Server are due to the geography data type (which is used for geodetic coordinate systems) and feeding polygons with invalid ring orientation, which gets rejected by the geography data type.
I wish there was a client-side way to fix this. It is most annoying.