Installing/Configuring SQL Server 2005 Express Edition for Use with Xfmea/RCM++ 5
This document provides instructions for installing and configuring SQL Server 2005 Express Edition for use with ReliaSoft's Xfmea/RCM++ 5 software. If you are using or wish to implement a SQL Server 2008 Express installation and are using Xfmea/RCM++ 5, please see these instructions. If you are using a SQL Server 2005 Express installation and ReliaSoft's retired Xfmea/RCM++ 4, please see these instructions.
You may choose to use the free version of SQL Server, which is available via download from the Microsoft website, if:
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You want an easy way for a limited number of users to evaluate the capabilities of Xfmea/RCM++ using a free demo implementation that requires little or no special IT support.
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Your organization would like to take advantage of the additional capabilities available in Xfmea/RCM++ without the need to purchase SQL Server licenses and the expected load for the database fits within the limited capabilities of the Express Edition.
In either case, if you have a reasonably powerful computer and "administrative rights" to install and configure software, you can establish a functioning Xfmea/RCM++ implementation using the step-by-step instructions provided below. When you choose to purchase the software and/or if your organization's needs grow beyond the capabilities of SQL Server Express, you can upgrade to a more robust version of SQL Server with the appropriate IT infrastructure and support.
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These instructions assume that you will be installing SQL Server 2005 Express and the Xfmea/RCM++ client application on your own computer and that other users who have the Xfmea/RCM++ client installed will connect to the SQL Server database that has been established on your computer.
Minimum Requirements to Run SQL Server 2005 Express
To begin, please make sure the computer you will be using meets these minimum requirements:
- Windows 2000 (SP4 and later), XP or Vista.
- Internet Explorer 6.01 or higher. A free download is available from Microsoft -- please click here.
- 600 MHz Intel Pentium III class processor (1 GHz or higher recommended), or an AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon64 or AMD Athlon XP processor with 192 MB RAM (512 MB or more is recommended), SVGA display (1,024x768 pixels) and at least 2 GB of hard disk space (for SQL Server Express and related components).
- Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or higher (SQL Server Express will not install without this and will not automatically install this component during setup). A free download is available from Microsoft -- please click here.
For more details on Microsoft's recommended minimum specifications for SQL Server 2005 Express, click here. The above requirements will also satisfy the Xfmea/RCM++ minimums, with the following addition:
- Microsoft Office 2000 or higher (Excel and Word) for automated report generation.
Downloading SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
You will need to download the installations for both SQL Server 2005 Express Edition and the SQL Server Management Studio Express from the Microsoft website. Alternatively, you can download only the more comprehensive SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services (where the Advanced Services version includes SQL Server Management Studio Express). To select the SQL Server 2005 Express version that best suits your company's needs, please compare them here.
NOTE: The instructions below describe a basic installation that is adequate to support the needs of Xfmea/RCM++ . While other settings may work, we suggest that you start with these settings unless you have an advanced knowledge of the products and are comfortable with customizing the configurations on your own.
Installing SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
To begin the installation of the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition package, find the downloaded setup file, double-click the SQLEXPR32.EXE and follow the setup instructions provided.
You will need to accept the licensing agreement and click Next or Install when prompted. During this process, the software confirms that your system meets the minimum requirements for the installation to continue. If there are any errors or warnings, you will be able to read the message(s) and decide whether to address them before continuing the installation. When the process completes, the window will show green check marks and the status will say "Setup finished." Click Next.
The software will now ask for your user name and the company information. There is no need to change any advanced configuration options, so leave the Hide advanced configuration options box selected and click Next after you fill in the name and company fields.
In the feature selection window, click Next.
The Authentication Mode choice can be left as is, using Windows Authentication, or Mixed Mode can be selected. Xfmea/RCM++ uses Windows Authentication but if you are planning to use this SQL Server Express installation for other purposes, you may wish to choose Mixed Mode. Click Next.
Select both options on the Configuration Options page (shown below) and then click Next.
For the error and usage reporting, click Next (unless you wish to have this data sent to Microsoft), and then click Install at the next prompt. The windows will show the progress and you will be prompted to click Next and then Finish on the final screen. Read the messages in the final box about certain features that are disabled by default - the issues relevant to configuring the software to work for Xfmea/RCM++ will be addressed below.
Installing SQL Server Management Studio Express
The next step in the process is to install the SQL Server Management Studio Express add-on. Begin by double-clicking the SQLServer2005_SSMSEE.msi installation file.
The first window you will see shows the welcome message for the wizard. The wizard walks you through the process and there are no selections or changes to make other than to accept the license agreement, enter user and company information and then to click Next for each subsequent window.
When all the processes have completed, click Finish.
Configuring SQL Server to Allow Remote Connections
The following steps are needed to ensure that the Xfmea/RCM++ client applications (i.e. the client application on your computer and the client applications on other users' computers) will have access to the SQL Server database on your computer. Specifically, you will need to enable remote connections for SQL Server, start the Browser Service and create exceptions that allow traffic to pass through any firewalls that may be active on your computer or network.
These instructions are pulled from the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article (KB914277), entitled "How to configure SQL Server 2005 to allow remote connections."
Enable Remote Connections for SQL Server 2005 Express
You must enable remote connections for each instance of SQL Server 2005 that you want to connect to from a remote computer. To do this, follow these steps:
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Click Start, select Programs, select Microsoft SQL Server 2005, select Configuration Tools and then click SQL Server Surface Area Configuration.
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On the SQL Server 2005 Surface Area Configuration page, click Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections.
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In the Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections window, expand Database Engine, click Remote Connections, select Local and remote connections then select the appropriate protocol to enable for your environment. If you are unsure which protocol is being used, select Using both TCP/IP and named pipes, as shown next.
Click Apply, then click OK when you receive the following message:
Changes to Connection Settings will not take effect until you restart the Database Engine service.
- Now click Service under Database Engine, click Stop, wait until the MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS service stops, and then click Start to restart the MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS service.
Leave the window open and go to the next step.
Enable the SQL Server Browser Service
The next step is to enable the SQL Server Browser Service. See Microsoft's article for security considerations.
- Still in the Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections window, expand SQL Server Browser, click Service, select Automatic for Startup type, and then click Apply.
- Click Start to start the service this first time. From now on, since you have selected the Automatic option, the SQL Server Browser Service will start automatically every time you start Microsoft Windows.
- Close both windows and proceed to the next step.
Firewall Considerations
If you are running a firewall on the computer that is running SQL Server 2005, external connections to SQL Server 2005 will be blocked unless SQL Server 2005 and the SQL Server Browser Service can communicate through the firewall. You must create an exception for each instance of SQL Server 2005 that you want to accept remote connections and an exception for the SQL Server Browser Service. The following instructions apply to the version of Windows Firewall that is included in Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) and in Windows Server 2003. If you are using a different firewall system, consult your firewall documentation for more information.
NOTE: SQL Server 2005 uses an instance ID as part of the path when you install its program files. If this is the only instance of SQL Server on this computer, use the following steps, which show the default instance ID. If you have other instances installed, click here for more detailed information about identifying the instance ID.
Create an Exception for SQL Server 2005 in Windows Firewall
- To open the Windows Firewall, choose Start > Run, type firewall.cpl, and then click OK.
- In Windows Firewall, click the Exceptions tab and then click Add Program.
- In the Add a Program window, click Browse.
- Select the C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Binn\sqlservr.exe executable program, click Open, and then click OK.
NOTE: The path may be different depending on where SQL Server 2005 is installed. MSSQL.1 is the default instance ID.
Create an Exception for the SQL Server Browser Service in Windows Firewall
- In Windows Firewall on the Exceptions tab, click Add Program.
- In the Add a Program window, click Browse.
- Select the C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared\sqlbrowser.exe executable program, click Open, and then click OK.
NOTE: The path may be different depending on where SQL Server 2005 is installed.
Click OK to close Windows Firewall and then proceed to the next step.
Installing Xfmea/RCM++
If you have not already installed Xfmea/RCM++, locate and double-click the Xfmea/RCM++ installation file you received from ReliaSoft and follow the instructions to complete the installation. After installation has completed, open the program and enter the license information you received from ReliaSoft and continue through the registration steps as directed.
Creating a New Enterprise Database
Open Xfmea/RCM++ and click New Enterprise Database in the Get Started window (or you can choose File > Enterprise Database > Create New) to open a wizard that will guide you through the steps to create a new database.
The first step in the wizard allows you to specify where you want to create the new database. Choose SQL from the Server Type drop-down list.
In the Server Name field, type the name of the SQL Server implementation where the new database will be created. For default installations this will be server\SQLEXPRESS, where "server" is the name of your computer.
In the Database Name field, type the name of the new Enterprise database that will be created. Click Next to create the database.
NOTE: The following images were created using Xfmea software, but all windows will appear the same (except for the colors and the software-specific logos) in RCM++.
When prompted, enter the Admin user information. The Admin access level in an Xfmea/RCM++ Enterprise database grants the user the ability to add, edit and delete user accounts. This access level provides full permissions for every aspect of the database. Additionally, when working with SQL Server databases in Xfmea/RCM++, the database creator/admin can create other user accounts through Xfmea/RCM++ that will automatically have associated SQL Server Logins. Click Next.
You will be asked if you want to add additional authorized users. At this time, select No (we will add users after completing the database and project creation) and click Finish.
You will be prompted to enter the name for the New Project in the database. A project can be created later, so click Cancel to close this window.
Now that you have created the database, you can add authorized users by choosing File > Database Setup > Manage Users.
The software has automatically created a user account for you with the highest possible access level within the Xfmea/RCM++ software, "Admin." You can double-click the account to edit the contact information stored in the system for your account.
If you want to add one new user account at a time, click the Add button to define each account in a window like the one shown next. To create a valid user account, you must enter the same domain and username that is required for that user to log in to Windows.
As mentioned previously, if you (the Admin/database creator) add/import a user in the Xfmea/RCM++ interface, that user account will automatically have a SQL Server Login generated, and there will be no need to log in to the SQL Server directly to create a login to "enable" this account in Xfmea/RCM++. The user will be able to log in to the Xfmea/RCM++ database once their account has been created and you can disregard the instructions in the Xfmea/RCM++ 5 User's Guide.
If your organization uses Microsoft Active Directory and you want to add multiple users simultaneously by importing their contact information from Active Directory, click the Import Users button.
The base installation and configuration of your new Xfmea/RCM++ database using SQL Server 2005 Express has been completed.
Protecting Your Data Through Regular Backups
As the database administrator for your organization's implementation of Xfmea/RCM++, you have the ability to perform the backups and other maintenance activities necessary to protect the information stored in the SQL Server database. Please refer to the SQL Server documentation for detailed coverage of this topic. For an introduction to the backup process, we have created a page providing basic instructions for creating a backup, automating the backups and restoring a database from a backup. You can view document here.
If you have any further questions about how to use the product or experienced any problems with this instruction document, please contact us.
Additional online support for SQL Server can also be found at this location:
SQL forums: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sqlexpress/threads
