How do I upgrade from a previous version?

To install a new version of Catalyst, uninstall the prior version using either the Catalyst setup program or the Add and Remove Programs option in the Windows® Control Panel. After installing the new version and placing a copy of the new back-end database on the server, you can import the data from your prior version to the back-end database of the new version using the Catalyst Upgrade Wizard as described below.

To open the Catalyst Upgrade Wizard select File > Database Management > Refresh Data from the Catalyst menu. The wizard imports records from a specified source database (your prior version back-end database) to the target database (the new version back-end database). The target database is selected using the File > Select Company option and should be the current version back-end database.

Before running the wizard, all users must be logged off both the target and source back-end databases. It is highly recommended that you make a backup copy of both the source and target back-end databases before proceeding. During upgrade, the source database schema is modified so it will not be possible to revert back to the copy of the source database that was modified during an upgrade. If you need to revert to the previous version, you must use the master copy that was not used as a source during upgrade. Note: the data transfer will run much faster if both databases reside on the same local machine.

The Catalyst Upgrade Wizard will walk you through the steps to import your data from the prior version source database. Please refer to the Upgrade Wizard help topic for more details.

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How do I upgrade from the Basic to Full Edition?

To upgrade from the Basic Edition to Full Edition, please contact Catalyst Manufacturing Sales to request an upgrade. The upgrade cost is the difference between the price you paid for the Basic Edition and the current cost of the Full Edition. After receiving the Full Edition setup files, you will need to uninstall the Basic Edition and install the Full Edition on the client machines.

If you are upgrading to the Full Edition with Microsoft Access back-end database, the back-end database on the server does not change (unless you are also upgrading versions). If you are upgrading to the Full Edition with SQL Server back-end database, you will need to import your data from the Microsoft Access back-end database to the SQL Server back-end database using the Catalyst Upgrade Wizard.

The activation code used for the Basic Edition will not work after upgrading to the Full Edition. Please submit a new product registration to confirm the registration information and request a new activation code. The new activation code will need to be entered at the time of upgrade.

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How do I upgrade from a Microsoft Access to SQL Server back-end database?

To upgrade from a system with the Microsoft Access back-end database to a system with the SQL Server back-end database, please contact Catalyst Manufacturing Sales to request an upgrade. The upgrade cost is the incremental price difference between the two systems. After receiving the setup files for the version with SQL Server back-end database, you will need to uninstall the previous version and install the new version on the client machines.

Please refer to the SQL Server installation and configuration help topics to configure and set permissions for the SQL Server database. After linking to the SQL Server back-end database file from the client machine, you can use the Catalyst Upgrade Wizard to import the data from your Microsoft Access back-end database. Please make a backup copy of the Microsoft Access back-end database prior to importing data as database schema changes are performed on the source database prior to import.

The activation code used for the version with Microsoft Access back-end database will not work after upgrading to the version with SQL Server back-end database. Please submit a new product registration to confirm the registration information and request a new activation code. The new activation code will need to be entered at the time of upgrade.

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How will system modifications affect my ability to upgrade?

For higher-end proprietary systems where the cost to perform and maintain custom modifications is very high, the general recommendation is to restrict the number of modifications, ideally to zero. With the Full Edition of Catalyst, however, changes can be made quickly and cost-effectively using the Microsoft® Access user interface. If the modifications are performed judiciously, it allows you the opportunity to fit the software to your business needs instead of finding a work-around or changing the way you do business. In some cases, the business process you are trying to support is where you derive your competitive advantage so changing the process is a much costlier option than changing the software. Fortunately, custom modifications can be made in Catalyst with relatively ease. That said, there are still a number of precautions to take when doing so to preserve your ability to upgrade to future releases. The following strategies can facilitate the upgrade process when making custom modifications:

• Document your changes. The change documentation should reference the name of the database object and a description of the change so the modification can be replicated in the new version. The documentation should be more detailed for modifications to existing database objects. For code changes, it's also helpful to enter comments around the new or revised code to help identify where changes have been made.

• Where possible, make modifications using new database objects (queries, reports, forms, etc.) rather than existing objects. Any changes made to existing objects will need to be replicated in the new release when you're ready to upgrade. The separate objects can just be imported into the new database with minimal integration effort.

• Where possible, use reports to meet user requirements instead of forms. Ad-hoc queries and reports are a low-cost alternative to more extensive system modifications. In addition, they are easily imported into another database during the upgrade process.

Note: After importing any database object with underlying code (e.g. forms, reports, and modules), it's always a good practice to compile and save the object code in the Visual Basic Editor. In some instances, if this is not done immediately after the import, the database can become corrupted. The bug occurs on systems where more than one version of Access is or has been installed.

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