FAQ: Change Database Server

In a default installation of powerKNOW a local instance of MSDE will be installed and used. If you want to use another SQL Server for running the database please follow the procedure described in this document.

You will need the following information to complete the procedure:

Name or IP of the server running the Microsoft SQL Server to be used
Instance name of the Microsoft SQL Server
Name of a superuser (eg: sa) of this Microsoft SQL Server
This user must have rights to create a database and a user to be used by powerKNOW
Password of this user

Prerequisites:

The Microsoft SQL Server to be used must allow mixed mode authentification.
The complete network (including the DB server, the web server and all routers and firewall in between) have to be configured in a way that SQL Server mode login to the Microsoft SQL Server is possible for an application running on the web server.

This is the procedure to change the database server:

Stop access to powerKNOW
There are serveral ways to do this:
- Unpluck the server from the LAN
- Stop the IIS Web-Service (if running under IIS)
- Stop the Cassini Service (if running under Cassini)
- ...
Backup
You never know for sure: Therefore make a backup of the server.

Create the database
In the bin directory of powerKNOW (normally: c:\inetput\wwwroot\powerKNOW\bin for IIS installation or C:\Program Files\powerKNOW\bin for Cassini installation) run powerKNOWcfg. From the dialog box shown select 'createDB'.

The next dialog will ask for the information about the Microsoft SQL Server to be used:

Servername:	Name or address of the machine the DB server is running on.
Instancename:	Name of the DB instance.
Username:	Username of an DB administrator. This user must have the right to create a new login and to create a new database.
Password:	Password for the user above

The username and password are only used to create a database and a user for powerKNOW. These credentials will not be stored.

In this procedure the defaults will not help as these defaults are intended for systems using the MSDE installed by powerKNOW.

Please put in the correct values and press "Next" to continue.

In the next dialog the wizard suggests a name for the powerKNOW database and a name and a password for the powerKNOW user to be created. You can use the defaults. If you change the defaults make sure to make a note of the new values. You will need theses values later on.

Press "Next" to create database and user.

Change powerKNOW configuration
In the bin directory of powerKNOW run powerKNOWcfg. From the dialog box shown select 'configDB'.

The next dialog will ask for the information needed for database access. Servername and Instancename are as given in the first step. Username, password and database are the values given for the new user and database.
Empty the fulltext index
In order to remove the fulltext index of the documents in the MSDE database remove all files and directories in the index subdiretory of powerKNOW. The direcory 'index' should exist but should be emtpy.

In case you want to move your existing data from the old database to the new one skip this step. Simply keep the existing fulltext index in place.
Re-Enable access to powerKNOW database

This procedure enables powerKNOW to run with a new (and empty) database on a different database server. powerKNOW should now be able to start and use the new database.

If you already have contents in the MSDE Database which you want to move to the new database you will have to move the data with backup and restore tools of Microsoft SQL Server. See FAQ_DbRelocate.html for examples.