Select by Attributes vs Select by Location¶

Goal: Master the two ways ArcGIS Pro filters features — attribute (SQL) and spatial (geographic relationship). Then chain them together.

The simplest distinction¶

When to use each¶

✅ Select by Attributes when:

• You know what you're looking for in the data (a state, a category, a range).
• The filter is a SQL expression.
• It's faster — no spatial computation needed.

✅ Select by Location when:

• The filter depends on where features are.
• You don't have the answer encoded in any field.
• E.g., "schools near a flood zone" — there's no near_flood_zone field; you compute it from geometry.

Combining them¶

Real workflows combine both. Use the Selection method dropdown:

Example workflow¶

"Find Title I elementary schools within 0.5 miles of a major road, in Fulton County."

1. Select by Attributes on schools: TITLE1 = 'Y' AND LEVEL = 'Elementary'. (Method: New)
2. Select by Location with method = Subset selection: target = schools, relationship = WITHIN_A_DISTANCE 0.5 mi of major roads.
3. Select by Location again, method = Subset selection: target = schools, relationship = WITHIN, selecting layer = Fulton County.

You're left with just the schools that pass all three tests.

flowchart LR
    A[All schools<br/>1,200] -->|"Attr: Title I + Elementary"| B[300]
    B -->|"Loc: within 0.5 mi of road"| C[120]
    C -->|"Loc: within Fulton"| D[35]

    classDef start fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#f59e0b,color:#92400e
    classDef step fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#1e40af,color:#1e3a8a
    classDef finish fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#10b981,color:#065f46
    class A start
    class B,C step
    class D finish

That's a 3-line analysis. Each step uses the previous selection as input.

The 3 most useful spatial relationships¶

The other relationships (touch the boundary of, are crossed by, share a line segment with) come up less often, but they're invaluable when they fit.

Selection vs Definition Query — yet again¶

A selection is temporary and visible (highlighted). A definition query hides features that don't match.

If you find yourself running the same selection every time you open the project, convert it into a Definition Query (Layer Properties → Definition Query). It runs automatically.

Common pitfalls¶

Practice¶