Introduction

This document describes how to manually force a database updated, and the points of interest when starting a database update when you are using E-WMS or ICL.

Description

This document contains following sections:

• Manually starting a database update
• Requirements for a database update
• Automatic database update
• Technical details on database version check
• Message "the version of the database is newer than the version of the installed software."
  • Windows Virtual Store 

Manually starting a database update

A database update can be forced by starting Exact Globe Next menu System, General, Settings, Add-ons and choosing 'Initialize', 'Start', 'Yes'. When the update is done, a message "Installation completed successfully" will show.    

Requirements

During this database update, single user access to the database is necessary. Following is required for a successful database update:

• All users closed Exact Globe Next, you can verify this in menu System, General, Online monitoring.
• All users closed other applications using and possibly locking Exact Globe Next tables (add-in functions in Microsoft Office)
• E-WMS or ICL: stop the E-WMS and ICL services during this update
• E-WMS: stop the IIS service to prevent access to E-WMS ASP on the scanners during the update
  
  Generic:
• ICL: when using ICL with companies on separate servers or locations (sites): all versions must be exactly the same on all sites
• All workstations must have exactly the same version of Exact Globe Next installed, especially the same SQL files
• When using e-Synergy integrated scenario, the SQL script files (especially of the mentioned applications) must be the same in 'e-Synergy'\SQL as in 'Globe'\SQL 

Automatic database update

A database update is started automatically by Exact Globe Next when opening a company, and when a change in 'database versions' is noticed. This change is database version can be related to Exact Globe Next standard functionality, when updating to a higher release, or to an add-on within the same or a new release.
 

Technical details on database version check

The database versions are determined and compared from these two sources:

• The SQL script installed with the software solution. For E-WMS and ICL this is the file csPickitCustomSolutions.Sql.
  
  The 'database version' is listed as 'Version script' in the SQL script as installed with the software solution.
  These files are stored in the (default) folder C:\Program Files\Exact software\SQL.
  This SQL script creates the necessary environment for the software solution, like specific database tables and fields.
  Since tables or fields may be introduced from a specific version, it is necessary to maintain 'versions' of the necessary database changes.
  
  
• The version number in the SQL script file is compared with the last known version, which is saved in the table SDKGroups, field DataModelDate, for the 'Groupname' listed in the SQL file. This last known (and currently active version) can also be verified in Exact Globe Next.

The Exact Globe Next database will be automatically updated when one of these events occurs:

• you are using E-WMS, ICL, or an add-on or customized software, and the database version in the SQL script of that updated software is higher than the last used version known in the database (normal program update)
• you installed that add-on software for the first time (then there will be no record in table SDKGroups yet)
• you uninstalled that add-on software by removing the SQL file (then there will be a record in table SDKGroups without 'linked' SQL file, also triggering a database update)

Depending on database size, server performance and database changes to be done, this database update can take considerable time.
When this database update is performed, other standard Exact Globe Next scripts are also executed, besides the SQL file which triggered the update.
Therefore it is not advisable to run these scripts directly in SQL Query Analyzer.

Message "the version of the database is newer than the version of the installed software."

When opening a company and this message is shown, it means that the SQL script now has a lower version, than the last used version, which is still registered in table SDKGroups.

After this message, you can still open the company. There is however the risk that you will encounter errors when using specific functionality (WMS or ICL in this sample), because also some program parts may now be too old.

This message means there is a local inconsistency between the installed SQL file, and the last known (expected) version of that SQL file, registered in the database. So this message may show on one workstation and not on others.

You can check following:

• determine what folder Exact Globe Next is started from, by checking the 'properties' of the Exact Globe Next shortcut. Default, this would be c:\program files\exact software\bin.
• compare the local file 'c:\program files\exact software\SQL\(sql file name)' to the file in your Exact Globe Next network share, or in your installation set, to determine if the workstation was updated correctly
• check the expected (last known) version in the database itself, by selecting in Exact Globe Next: Help, About, tab Add-on, select the appropriate 'Group': now the 'data model date' is indicated.
• search on your computer for all occurrences of this SQL file - maybe Exact Globe Next does not use the file you expect it to use (see 'Virtual Store' below)
  
  

The fact that the 'Version script' in this local SQL file is too old may have following causes:

• the workstation did not update correctly in the latest Exact Globe Next network update. That can be caused by a missing or invalid file 'c:\program files\exact software\bin\wupdate.ini'. This file contains the name of the folder or share where the last workstation installation was started from. If that folder or share does not exists on starting Exact Globe Next, or the timestamp in wupdate.ini is too high, a workstation update will not be started. You can always force a new workstation update by executing wsetup.exe from the Exact Globe Next network installation share.
    
  
• when users do not have sufficient rights to perform an Exact Globe Next workstation update, operating systems like Windows 7 or Windows Vista will instead copy files to the so-called Windows Virtual Store. This is a folder in the user's profile, where programs (including Exact Globe Next) will first look for specific files. When the SQL file exists there, that file will be used instead of the expected file in c:\program files\exact software\sql.
  
  A sample scenario, in which above error message would be triggered:
   
  • Exact Globe Next 406 is installed, but domain users do not have 'change' rights to folder C:\program files\exact software (or user has no rights to specific files!), so instead, Windows copies files to
    C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Exact software.
  
  After that, Exact Globe will just get the files from the VirtualStore, so no problems yet.
   
  • Later, domain users now have 'change' rights to the Exact folder, and an update is done from Exact Globe 406 to 407.
    During the workstation update, the files (including the SQL file) are now copied to the folder c:\program files\exact software.
     
  • When starting Exact Globe, the files in the 'Virtual Store' still have preference over the default program files folder, so Globe will still open the SQL file from the VirtualStore
     
  • That file is too old (still from Globe 406), and will result in the message above.
     
    
  In this case, do following:
   
  • check if domain users have 'change' rights to all files in default folder c:\program files\exact software. Those rights may include the 'ownership' of specific files.
  • delete the folder C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Exact software if users should be able to update files in c:\program files\exact software

Please remember that this problem may occur on more than one workstation. The default folder 'C:\program files\exact software' may be a different folder in your situation; on 64-bit PC's this will default be 'C:\program files (x86)\exact software', and on terminal servers a 'c-drive' may not be available.

If the error message persists and the version number in table SDKGroups is not correct, then you can force a database update (see first chapter). That always results in updating SDKgroups.Datamodeldate with the 'Version script' of the currently installed SQL file.

Related documents

• Generic checklist for E-WMS/ICL update in Globe network environment
• How to check the version of currently installed add-on, building block or custom solution
  
• Can I delete from the Virtual Store? (external link)
• Problems with VirtualStore (external link) 
• E-WMS start page