On-premises installation of Axiell Collections
An on-premises installation of Axiell Collections requires three components to be installed separately and in the following order on a Windows server:
- A database - Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Express with SQL Server Management Studio
Installing the SQL database on the server is typically the responsibility of the customer. Axiell can provide advice and assistance as required.
- The Collections Model 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
Typically, an organization deploys a single Collections application with a single database.
Single vs Multi-tenancy
There are, broadly, two types of Collections installation:
- A single instance of the Collections application is installed and accessed by staff. This is the most common type of installation.
- In some large organizations comprising multiple institutions, each institution has its own Collections application (typically the same one, XPlus for example) with space allocated in a shared database. We call this a multi-tenancy installation.
Alongside the Collections application we install the Axiell Designer utility where much of the administration of Axiell Collections is performed.
Note: When upgrading Adlib for Windows to Axiell Collections, the database will already be installed and the existing Adlib application is the Collections application (although it may be necessary to update the Adlib application to make it Axiell Collections ready). In this case it is only necessary to install the Axiell Collections software.
- The Axiell Collections software
The Axiell Collections software 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. Broadly speaking, the Axiell Collections software is the user interface to the collections data. It is the tools and functionality used to manage collections data.
Why separate the Axiell Collections Model application and Axiell Collections software?
Separation of the Collections application from the Axiell Collections core software ensures that each component can be updated and upgraded independently:
- New versions of the Axiell Collections software are made available fairly regularly and the update is straightforward and is typically performed by the customer.
- Updating the Collections application is less frequent, more complex and typically performed by Axiell staff.
Performing an on-premises installation
Contact Axiell Support for details about performing an on-premises installation of Axiell Collections.
Application configuration options
Application Administrators will find details about configuring various Axiell Collections features, tools and utilities here.
