When you choose to use Microsoft SQL Server for your RavTrack PC database, all of the location information of the GPS tracked vehicles will be stored in the SQL database called “RavTrack“.   You must create this database manually using Micrtosoft’s Management Studio software program, and then assign the user login rights to the database.  RavTrack PC will create the tables within the database. 

The steps to take to setup the RavTrack SQL database in SQL Server 2005 or 2008 are as follows:

1. Using the Management studio, create a database with the name “RavTrack”. You do not need to create any tables in the database, as RavTrack PC will create them the first time it connects to this database.
2. Using Management Studio, create security login accounts for the users that will be using RavTrack PC on the network.  Right click on Databases > Security > Logins > New Login…  to create a new login account for each user. Set the Server Role to “serveradmin”. 
   
3. Using Management Studio, assign the new user login to the RavTrack database.  Right click on Databases > RavTrack > Security > Users . Add User…  to add the new user to the database.  Set the Role Members” to db_datawriter and db_datareader. 

Management Studiois a very good tool to use not only for configuring SQL Server, but also to verify that connections to the RavTrack database are OK.   On any workstation that you feel there is a login problem with the database, login to that workstation with the user name and password, run Management Studio, and try to access the RavTrack database.  If you can access it and list the tables, then the user name and password has the proper rights configured on the server. 

There is a verion of Microsoft SQL Management Studio for every version of their SQL Server program.

Integrated into RavTrack PC GPS Tracking software is a powerful report generating software program called Crystal Reports.

As part of the RavTrack PC installation, a run-time redistribution module is installed on the computer along with RavTrack PC. The Crystal Reports run-time module allows crystal reports to be generated by RavTrack PC, and viewed by the user.  But, it does not include the report editor.  To customize your own Crystal Reports, you will need to by a full-version of Crystal Reports 10.   The run-time module included with RavTrack PC will give you the ability to view the Crystal Reports you generate with RavTrack PC’s report generator.

Installation Problems

There is often an installation error with the Crystal Reports run-time on certain Windows Vista machines.   If during the installation of RavTrack PC you get an error message about Crystal Reports, you can ignore it because there is a simple solution that can be performed after the installation of RavTrack PC is complete.

If, after RavTrack PC is installed and operating, you get an error when trying to open the report generator in RavTrack PC  (View > Reports), then you should manually install the Crystal Reports 10 run-time module.  To do this, perform the following steps:

1. Close RavTrack PC.
2. Download the Crystal Report run-time module from Raveons server at: http://ravtrack.com/downloads/CRBasicVS2008_redist_x86.zip
3. Unzip the file to your local disk.
4. Open Explorer, and go to the directory where the .zip file was stored to.
5. Double click on the  CRRedist2008_x86.msi file to run the installation program.
6. Follow the instructions in the installer, and let it install.
7. Once the Crystal Reports installer has finished, start RavTrack PC, and verify the report features are working.

With release of RavTrack PC vesion 3.1, RavTrack PC supports Microsoft’s SQL Server 2005 and 2008.  By default, RavTrack PC uses Microsoft Access databases and tables to store its inforamtion.  Access is a very good choice for a database when RavTrack PC software is ging to be run on a single workstation, in a vehicle, or when the number of concurrent users is small. 

But, when the number of users running RavTrack PC increases, or when the size of the Log table is large, Microsoft’s SQL Server is a superior product, albeit a bit more complex to install and manage. 

You can download RavTrack PC evaluation copy free as well as the technical manual from Ravoen’s web site at: http://ravtrack.com/RavTrack-PC-Software.html 

If you are going to use a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008 database with RavTrack PC, then you will need to prepare the SQL Server first, before running RavTrack PC.  Perform the following steps:

SQL Server Installation

1. Install Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Server Express.  SQL Server Express is available from Microsoft at no charge. It may be downloaded at: http://www.microsoft.com/Sqlserver/2005/en/us/express.aspx
2. Use the “SQL Server Configuration Manager” software program that is installed with MS SQL Server to configure the server.
3. Using the SQL Server Configuration Manager, enable the TCP/IP Client Protocol (SQL Server Configuration Manager > SQL Natice Client Configuration > Client Protocols > TCP/IP).
4. Also download and install the “Management Studio” for SQL Server.  The Express version may be downloaded at the same website as the SQL Server Express is downloaded from.
5. Set the default transaction time-out of Management Studio to 1000 seconds (Tools> Options> Designers> Transaction Timeout)
6. Using the Management studio, create a database with the name “RavTrack”. You do not need to create any tables in the database, as RavTrack PC will create them the first time it connects to this database.
7. Using Management Studio, create Login accouts for all users what will be accessing the SQL database using RavTrack PC. 

Troubleshooting:

If you are having trouble connecting RavTrack PC to your SQL server installation, check the following items:

1. Shut down RavTrack PC using FIle > Exit, and restart it.  Whenever the database type is changed in RavTrack PC, you should restart the application.
2. Install Microsoft’s Management Studio applicationon the computer running RavTrack PC.  Use Management Studio to connect to the server to verify that the SQL Server is running properly and accessible from the workstation.
3. Make sure the the TCP/IP Client Protocol is enabled on the SQL Server.
4. Make sure you are logged into RavTrack PC as an administrator with the ADMIN account.
5. Make sure you have purchased and installed an “Unlimited” license on RavTrack PC. The “Limited” version will not connect to an SQL Server.
6. Make sure you created a database on the SQL server named “RavTrack”.  The RavTrack database needs to be on the server before running the RavTrack PC program.  Yse the Management Studio to create the “RavTrack” database on the server.
7. You should have an account on the SQL Server computer with the same name and password as the name/password that you used to log onto Windows on the RavTrack PC computer. If you have not done this, create a Windows user account and password on the SQL Server computer to match the Windows user/password on the RavTrack PC Windows login account.
8. Make sure the rights assigned to the login account are at least db_reader, db_writer, and db_admin.