2. Installation overview

Axiell Collections requires:

• A Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Server Express database.

  Any SQL database supported by Microsoft can be used, but we recommended using the latest version1 GIS (Geographic Information System) functionality introduced with Axiell Collections version 1.7 requires SQL Server 2017 as a minimum..

  Tip: When installing SQL Server Express, accept the default settings.

• Install SQL Server Management Studio to manage the database SQL Server Management Studio is an integrated environment to manage a SQL Server infrastructure. It provides a user interface and a group of tools with rich script editors that interact with SQL Server.

  Tip: Accept the default settings when installing SQL Server Management Studio.

Details about minimum requirements and how to install and configure Microsoft SQL Server can be found here.

Create a folder on the server in which to deploy the Collections application, Axiell Designer and the Axiell Collections web service. In this example, we call it:

C:\Collections

Within this folder, copy the latest version of the following resources:

The Collections application

This is the collections management heart of Axiell Collections. Different models of the Collections application are available for different types of collection:

• archive
• library
• museum

and for combinations of collection types:

• archive+library
• archive+museum
• library+museum

The XPlus variant is designed for organizations with all three types of collection:

• archive+library+museum

Upgrading Adlib for Windows

An existing Adlib for Windows installation can be upgraded to Axiell Collections. In this case the Collections application is effectively already installed and it is only necessary to make the Adlib for Windows application Axiell Collections ready.

Where to get the installation package

For new customers and fresh installations of Axiell Collections:

• Axiell will provide customers with the latest release of the Collections application model suited to their collections management needs.
• Axiell staff can download the latest Collections application release (the Axiell Collections Help desk can provide details of the download location).

The installation package is a folder (with a name such as Model Application) containing a number of sub folders and files, which together make up a Collections application.

Typically, Axiell staff install the application and associate it with the SQL database.

Note: Details about the Collections application folder structure and files can be found here.

Install

To install the Collections application, copy the folder holding the Collections application to the server and rename it as required, e.g.:

C:\Collections\Collections Application

Axiell Designer

Much of the Administration of Axiell Collections is performed with Axiell Designer.

Where to get the installation files

Axiell will provide the latest version of Axiell Designer or customers can download it from the Axiell Collections Support site.

The installation package is a folder called Axiell Designer containing a number of sub folders and files.

Install

To install Axiell Designer, copy the Axiell Designer folder to the server, e.g.:

C:\Collections\Axiell Designer

Tip: You may want to create a desktop short cut to the Axiell Designer executable.

SQL database backup file (optional)

Restoring a pre-configured SQL database backup file is a quick way to set up a database for Axiell Collections.

Axiell has backup databases with and without demo data.

Save the backup file (it will have a .bak extension) to your Collections folder, e.g. C:\Collections.

Where to get the SQL database backup files

• Axiell will provide customers with the latest SQL database backup file by Axiell.
• Axiell staff can download the latest SQL database backup file (the Axiell Collections Help desk can provide details of the download location).

Note: If you don't restore a database, you will need to create a new database.

Axiell Collections software

Also known as the Axiell Collections core software, this is deployed in IIS (Internet Information Services) as the Axiell Collections web service; it includes configuration files that point to the Collections application and database.

The Axiell Collections software installation package is provided as a zip file:

1. In your Collections folder, create a sub-folder called, for example, Axiell Collections.
2. Save the zip file to this folder, e.g. C:\Collections\Axiell Collections

Where to get the installation files (Axiell staff)

Axiell staff can download the latest Axiell Collections core software release (the Axiell Collections Help desk can provide details of the download location).

Your Collections directory will be similar to this:

The quickest way to set up a SQL database for Axiell Collections is to restore a pre-configured SQL database backup file (with or without demo data) provided by Axiell. In the following steps we restore a database.

If you do not restore a database, you will need to create a new database.

Note: See 3. Installing SQL Server for details about supported versions of SQL Server, minimum requirements, installing SQL Server, creating a new database, and methods of authentication.

To restore a database:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

   Tip: If using a PC running a Windows operating system such as Windows 10 rather than a Windows Server, be sure to run the SSMS as an Administrator (e.g. right-click the SSMS program icon and select Run as Administrator.

2. Connect to the SQL Server using Windows Authentication:

   

   Tip: Make a note of the Server name. You'll need it later.

3. Create a new database or restore a database.

   See 3. Installing SQL Server for details about creating a new database.

   To restore a database:

   1. Right-click Databases and select Restore Database:

      

   2. In the Restore Database window:
      1. Select the Device radio button.
      2. Click the ellipsis to navigate to the .bak file copied to the server (e.g. in C:\Collections):

         

   3. In the Select backup devices window:
      1. Select File from the Backup media type drop list.
      2. Click Add to locate the .bak file:

         

      3. Click OK.

   4. In the Restore Database window:

      1. Make a note of the database name.
      2. Click Verify Backup Media to confirm the integrity of the backup file.

      3. If the file passes the verification check, click OK to restore the database:

         

Keep SQL Server Management Studio open for the next step.

In Step 5, we connect the Collections application to the SQL database. There are two methods to authenticate the connection to the database:

• SQL Server authentication

  -OR-

• Windows authentication (using Active Directory)

To give a user / group access to the database, we can use an existing user or create a new user. Here we create a new user:

1. In SQL Server Management Studio, expand Security, right click Logins and select New Login from the context menu:

   

2. Specify the user / group:
   Use Windows authentication

   Select the Windows authentication option and enter a user name or Active Directory group in Login name:

   

   -OR-

   Use SQL server authentication

   1. Select the SQL Server authentication option, enter a name in Login name, and add and then confirm a password:

      

      We'll be using these user details in Step 5.

   2. Select User Mapping, place a tick by the Database name and the role the user will have (typically db_owner):

      

3. Click OK and close SQL Server Management Studio.

Finally, we need to connect the Collections application to the database:

1. Start Axiell Designer and click the Open application browser button.

   The Application browser window will display.

   We need to point Axiell Designer at the Collections application folder on the server.

2. Click the Change application browser folder button, browse to the folder containing the Collections application files (called Collections Application in this example) and click OK:

   

3. In the left-hand pane of Axiell Designer, expand the folder tree, expand the data folder and select any one of the listed table definitions:

   

4. In the right-hand pane, scroll down to the Data storage section of the page.
   1. In the Data Source Name field, enter the name of the database you created or connected to (here).
   2. Press TAB to move to the Server field.

      A message displays asking if you want to adjust the settings of all other databases:

      

      Click Cancel for now.

      Note: We only click OK when all required fields in the Data storage section have been completed.

   3. In the Server field, enter the name of the SQL Server you connected to (here).
   4. Press TAB to exit the field and again click Cancel in the message box that displays.
   5. If you specified Windows authentication in Step 4. SQL authentication, leave the username and password fields empty (when we test the connection to the database, the Windows credentials you are currently using to access the server / PC will be used).

      -OR-

      If you specified SQL server authentication, enter the user name and then password and press TAB to exit the field.

   6. This time when the message displays, click OK to apply the settings to all tables.

      Tip: Click any of the other data sources in the data folder and check to confirm the server settings have updated.

   In this demonstration, the values are:

   

5. Click Test to check the connection.

   You should receive an OK confirmation:

   

   Note: If you created a new database at Step 3 above, a message about missing tables will display. See Step 8 below.

6. Click Save all modified files and in the Save objects window ensure that all files are selected:

   

7. Click Yes.

   The Collections application and database are now connected.

8. This Step and Step 9 are only required if you created a new database at Step 3 above; when you ran the test, you will have received a message about missing tables. In this case, generate the required tables by right clicking the data directory in Designer and selecting Clear all databases in this folder:

   

   Note: All data will be wiped if you use this option on an existing rather than new database!

9. Once the databases have been cleared, right click on the data directory, select Reindex all databases in this folder and click Start.

10. Close Axiell Designer.