Why does ESRI's geodatabase not store its built-in "lookup table" object (that it calls a coded value domain) as a simple database table. Instead, coded value domains are stored as binary objects that connot be accessed without going through ArcObjects. This shortcoming becomes a big pain when you start building ArcGIS server applications down the road. Other than trying to keep access to the gdb that much more proprietary, it's hard to understand this design decision.

This script will work from ArcCatalog or ArcMap's VBA Editor. Given a path to a geodatabase (in the example, an .sde connection file) and an output location, the script will output one comma seperated value file (.csv) per coded value type domain in your geodatabase.

'Updated 2/9/09 10:57am 

Public Sub ExportCodedValueDomainsToCSVFiles()

    Dim gdbLocation as string
    Dim outputLocation as string
    Dim pFact As IWorkspaceFactory
    Dim pWorkspace As IWorkspace
    Dim pWSDomains As IWorkspaceDomains
    Dim pEnumDomains As IEnumDomain
    Dim pDomain As IDomain
    Dim pCVDomain as ICodedValueDomain
    Dim cvCount as Long
    Dim d As Long

       '**** SET PARAMETERS
    gdbLocation  = "C:\Documents And Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\ESRI\ArcCatalog\Connection to gdb92.agrc.utah.gov.sde"
    outputlocation = "C:\temp"
       '****    

    'Open Geodatabase From File
    'In this case we are connecting to SDE via the connection file saved
    'when you make a connection in ArcCatalog or ArcMap
    Set pFact = New SdeWorkspaceFactory
    Set pWorkspace = pFact.OpenFromFile(gdbLocation,0)


    'Get a pointer to the geodatabase through the workspaceDomains interface
    Set pWSDomains = pWorkspace 'Query Interface

    'Get pointer to domain collection
    Set pEnumDomains = pWSDomains.Domains

    'Loop through each Domain
    Set pDomain = pEnumDomains.Next
    Do Until pDomain Is Nothing
        
        'Check to make sure current Domain is Coded Value, not Range Domain    
        If typeof pDomain is ICodedValueDomain then

            Set pCVDomain = pDomain 'QUery Interface

            Open outputlocation & "\" & pDomain.name & ".csv" for output as #1
            Print #1, "CodeVal,DescVal" 'Print field header row
            cvCount = pCVDomain.CodeCount
            For d = 0 to cvCOunt -1            
                Print #1, pCVDomain.Value(d) & "," & pCVDomain.Name(d)
            Next d
            close #1

        End if
        Set pDomain = pEnumDomains.Next

    Loop

End Sub