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Frequently Asked Questions
Installation
- What the system requirements for
Catalyst?
- How do I install Catalyst?
- How can I have the system prompt the user
for their login information at startup?
- How do I relink to a different back-end database?
- How do I attach a back-end database to SQL
Server?
- Can Catalyst be installed for use at multiple
physical locations?
- Can Catalyst be installed in a Citrix®
or terminal services environment?
- Can Catalyst be installed on a Windows
64-bit operating system?
What the system requirements for Catalyst?
The system requirements for Catalyst Manufacturing® are similar
to those for Microsoft Access®. Catalyst is split into a front-end
database that resides on the client PC and a back-end database that
resides on the server machine. The system requirements for each are
provided below.
Client PC
- Computer: Most processing occurs on the
client, so higher processing speeds and multiple processors
will improve performance. A PC with at least a 1 GHz
processor is recommended.
- Memory: 2 GB RAM or higher
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows® XP, Vista,
or Windows 7.
- Software: Microsoft Access® 2002,
2003, 2007 or 2010 (32-bit versions only). Microsoft Word® and
Excel® are required for extended reporting and analysis. Microsoft Outlook® and Internet Explorer® or a comparable
email client and browser are helpful for sending receiving
data. The installation of the latest Office® service packs
is recommended.
- Note: The Access Runtime version can be used
on machines without an Access license. Due to slow
response and latency issues, Access 2007 is not
recommended for use with Catalyst.
- Hard Drive: 200 MB of hard disk drive
storage for both Microsoft Access® and the Catalyst
application files on the client PCs.
Server
- Computer: A personal computer can be
used when using Catalyst with a Microsoft Access® back-end
database. When using the SQL Server® back-end database, a
server rated machine is recommended, but not required since
most processing occurs on the client. A server machine may
be desirable, however, to improve data storage and backup
capabilities.
- Operating System: Same as client OS or
Windows Server 2000, 2003, or 2008.
- Software: When using a Microsoft
Access® back-end database, a Microsoft Access installation
is recommended on the server to perform database
administration functions. When using a SQL Server® back-end
database, install 32-bit versions of either SQL Server 2005
or SQL Server 2008 (Express Edition acceptable) with client
tools to perform database administration functions.
- Hard Drive: At least 2 GB for company
back-end database file.
How do I install Catalyst?
Since Catalyst is based in Microsoft Access®, each client
machine must either have a licensed copy of Access or the
Access Runtime installed on each client machine. The back-end database must also be placed
on a server machine so it can be shared by all users. Please
refer to the appropriate installation steps below depending on
whether you are installing:
Install Basic and Full Edition with
Access back-end database
- Backup any Catalyst database files you may have in the
Catalyst folder from a previous installation. Uninstall any
previous version using the Add and Remove Programs utility in the Windows®
Control Panel.
- Install Catalyst on a client machine using the
downloaded setup package.
- If the target machine does not have a licensed copy
of Microsoft Access, you will need to download and
install the
Access 2010 Runtime before installing Catalyst.
- After installation, a program shortcut is placed on
the desktop and in the Programs group. To be prompted
with a login prompt at startup, modify the desktop
shortcut to include the Microsoft Access path and
workgroup switch as shown in the
shortcut modification help topic. The default user
name is sysadmin with a blank password.
- Move the Microsoft Access back-end database files from
the Catalyst installation directory (C:\Program
Files\Catalyst) to a shared folder on the server machine.
The back-end database files have a .mdb file extension and
include a “_be” reference in the name e.g. "Catalyst
v4.95_be.mdb". The Catalyst users/groups need Full
Control permissions to the Catalyst folder on the client
and server machines.
- Open Catalyst using the desktop shortcut created in step
2.
- Select File > Select Company from the Catalyst
menu, browse to the back-end database on the server, and
click the 'Refresh Links' button.
- Repeat steps 1-2 and 4-5 for each client machine you
want to run Catalyst.
Install Full or Pharmaceutical Edition
with SQL Server back-end database
- Backup any Catalyst database files you may have in the
Catalyst folder from a previous installation. Uninstall any
previous version using the Add and Remove Programs utility in the Windows®
Control Panel.
- Install Catalyst on a client machine using the
downloaded setup package.
- If the target machine does not have a licensed copy
of Microsoft Access, you will need to download and
install the
Access 2010 Runtime before installing Catalyst.
- After installation, a program shortcut is placed on
the desktop and in the Programs group. To be prompted
with a login prompt at startup, modify the desktop
shortcut to include the Microsoft Access path and
workgroup switch as shown in the
shortcut modification help topic. The default user
name is sysadmin with a blank password.
- Move the SQL Server database files (mdf and ldf file
extensions) from the Catalyst installation directory
(C:\Program Files\Catalyst) to a shared folder on the server
machine.
- Attach the SQL Server database files to the SQL Server
instance.
- If the server does not have SQL Server installed,
you will need to download and install the
SQL Server 2008 Express Edition before continuing.
- Open SQL Server
Management Studio by right-clicking the shortcut and
selecting 'Run as administrator'.
- In the Console Root, expand your SQL Server group,
right-click the Databases folder, and select 'Attach...'
from the shortcut menu. On the Attach Database screen,
select the Add... button to search for the Catalyst .mdf
file on your server. Select the file and click the OK
button to return to the Attach Databases screen.
- On the Attach Databases screen, click the OK button
to attach the selected database.
- Create SQL Server Logins
- In SQL Server Management Studio, open Object
Explorer and expand the folder of the server instance in
which to create the new login.
- Right-click the Security folder, point to New, and then click
Login.
- On the General page, enter the name of a
Windows user or group in the Login name box.
Select Windows Authentication.
- On the Server Roles page, select the 'sysadmin'
server role.
- On the User Mapping page, select the Map
checkbox adjacent to the Catalyst database. In the
'Database role membership' frame, select the 'db_owner'
and ''public' roles.
- Click OK.
- Verify SQL Server Protocols
- Open SQL Server Configuration Manager.
- In SQL Server 2005/2008 Services, verify that the
SQL Server Browser service is running and set to start
automatically.
- In SQL Server 2005/2008 Network Configuration,
select the SQL Server protocol used by Catalyst and
verify that the Shared Memory and TCP/IP protocols are
enabled.
- In SQL Native Client Configuration, select Client
Protocols and verify that Shared Memory, TCP/IP, and
Named Pipes are
enabled.
- Open Catalyst using the desktop shortcut created in step
2.
- Select File > Select Company from the Catalyst
menu. On the Select Company Data File screen,
select the SQL 'Server Version'. Select the server name and
database name from the drop-down list and click the 'Refresh
Links' button.
- Repeat steps 1-2 and 7-8 for each client machine you
want to run Catalyst.
Installation Notes:
- Both the Windows user or group and the SQL Server login
name must belong to the same Windows environment as the
computer hosting SQL Server.
- For purchased installations, complete and submit a
product registration using the Registration Wizard (Help
> Product Registration). After receiving the activation
code, enter it into the Registration Wizard the next time
you open Catalyst.
- To avoid
having to refresh the table links for each client
installation, you can copy the front-end database file from
the initial client installation to the other client machines
after performing steps 1-2.
How can I have the system prompt the user
for their login information at startup?
Basically, all that needs to be done to have the system
prompt for a user name and password when opening the database is
modify the target path in the desktop shortcut. The target path
needs to include the path of the Microsoft Access executable
(MSACCESS.EXE), the Catalyst front-end database, and the
workgroup switch. The detailed instructions on how to modify the
desktop shortcut can be found on the
Installation - Security FAQ page.
Note: When modifying the desktop to prompt for user
login, the Catalyst workgroup file (Catalyst.mdw) needs to be moved to
a shared folder on the server. Please refer to the help topic regarding
'Enabling User Level Security' for more information.
How do I relink to a different back-end
database?
Catalyst automatically detects broken table links
when the database is opened and prompts the user for the new
back-end database location and file name. To relink to a different
back-end database file, choose File > Select Company
from the Catalyst menu, select a different back-end database, and
click the 'Refresh Links' button. The instructions vary depending on
whether you are linking to a Microsoft Access®
or SQL Server® back-end database. Refer
to the Select Company help topic for more details.
How do I attach a back-end database to SQL
Server?
The Catalyst SQL Server back-end database files
are installed in the Catalyst application path during installation
on the client machine. After installing on the client, the SQL
Server back-end database files need to be moved to the server
machine and attached to SQL Server. If you do not already have SQL
Server installed on the server machine, you will need to do so
before continuing. The steps to attach the Catalyst database files
to SQL Server are as follows:
-
Open Enterprise Manager (SQL Server 2000)
or Management Studio (SQL Server 2005 and 2008).
-
In the Console Root, expand your SQL
Server group, right-click the Databases folder, and select
'All Tasks > Attach Database' or
'Attach...' from the shortcut menu. On the Attach
Database screen, select the browse button (… or Add...) to
search for the Catalyst .mdf file on your server. Select the
file and click the OK button to return to the Attach
Databases screen.
-
On the Attach Databases screen,, click the
OK button to attach the selected database. If an error
occurs, verify you have the appropriate SQL Server
permissions to perform administrative functions.
Can Catalyst be installed for use at multiple
physical locations?
Since Catalyst uses Microsoft Access as it's host application,
the standard configuration consists of the front-end database
residing on a client machine and the back-end database residing on a
server machine within a local area network. However, with proper
consideration given to bandwidth and security, however, it is
possible to place the back-end database on a remote server to be
shared by multiple physical locations. In this configuration, it is
highly recommended that you use a SQL Server back-end database
instead of an Access back-end database to avoid the risk of database
corruption.
Catalyst was designed for use by a single company so if
sister companies need to share the same back-end database,
there would also need to be consideration given to the setup and
use of data.
Can Catalyst be installed in a Citrix® or
terminal services environment?
The Microsoft Access database files on the client PC include
local tables updated by each user. In a terminal services
environment, these local tables become shared unless a local copy of
the Access database files is created for each user. A 3rd party
utility program called
Auto-FE Updater
may be installed to overcome this limitation. In addition, it's
possible to add a logon batch file to create a local instance of the
Catalyst database files when the users connect to the terminal
server through Citrix. The terminal services environment is not
fully supported, but is possible to establish.
Can Catalyst be installed on a Windows 64-bit
operating system?
Catalyst can be installed on a Vista or Windows 7 64-bit
operating system. In most instances, the installation will proceed
normally and install Catalyst to the Program Files (x86) folder. When opening Catalyst for the first time, it will be necessary to relink the local database
(Catalyst Local.mdb) to include (x86) in the Program Files path.
If an error message is received when launching the Catalyst
setup package such as "The version of this file is not
compatible with the version of Windows you're running. Check
your computer's system information to see whether you need an
x86 (32-bit) or x64 (64-bit) version of the program, and then
contact the software publisher", install Catalyst using the
Program Compatibility Wizard as follows:
-
Open the Program
Compatibility Wizard by clicking the Start
button
-
Click
Control Panel
-
Click
Programs
-
Under Programs and Features click
'Run programs made for previous versions of
Windows'.
-
In the wizard, select the 'Not Listed'
option and browse and select the Catalyst installation file.
-
Start the program using the recommended
settings.
Microsoft issued a knowledgebase article (2269468)
on compatibility of Office 2010 64-bit products where 32-bit
Office products have already been installed. Since Catalyst is a
32-bit application, you must use the Access 2010 32-bit version
(or a previous version of Access).
The Access 2010 64-bit version is not compatible. Further, the
Access 2010 Runtime 32-bit version cannot be installed on a
machine where Office 2010 64-bit products have already been
installed. The article recommends installing the 32-bit Office
2010 products on machines with 64-bit operating systems to
preserve compatibility with 32-bit applications.
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