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
- 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
- Use the “SQL Server Configuration Manager” software program that is installed with MS SQL Server to configure the server.
- Using the SQL Server Configuration Manager, enable the TCP/IP Client Protocol (SQL Server Configuration Manager > SQL Natice Client Configuration > Client Protocols > TCP/IP).
- 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.
- Set the default transaction time-out of Management Studio to 1000 seconds (Tools> Options> Designers> Transaction Timeout)
- 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.
- 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:
- Shut down RavTrack PC using FIle > Exit, and restart it. Whenever the database type is changed in RavTrack PC, you should restart the application.
- 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.
- Make sure the the TCP/IP Client Protocol is enabled on the SQL Server.
- Make sure you are logged into RavTrack PC as an administrator with the ADMIN account.
- Make sure you have purchased and installed an “Unlimited” license on RavTrack PC. The “Limited” version will not connect to an SQL Server.
- 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.
- 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.
- Make sure the rights assigned to the login account are at least db_reader, db_writer, and db_admin.