To install the Visual KPI Server and ensure that it operates as expected, you’ll need SQL Server with admin or better permissions enabled.
Note: This article pertains to the SQL Server database used by Visual KPI for all configuration information, which is necessary for Visual KPI to work properly. This does not pertain to using SQL Server as a source of data at runtime as an interface, which you can also do. To learn more about SQL Server as a data source, see this article.
Make sure you have access to SQL Server somewhere on the network or locally. You are not required to install it locally, but Visual KPI does require that SQL Management Studio client tools be stored locally so that changes can be made or permissions can be managed.
Before you start the Visual KPI installation, check your privileges on the SQL Server. The logged-in user must have certain privileges on the SQL Server as the Visual KPI Server is being installed. Because the Visual KPI database needs read and write permissions to the SQL Server, you’ll need the following privileges, depending on the task:
- Installation of Visual KPI: Local admin on the Windows Server machine for the installing user. For SQL Server, you must have rights to create and delete databases, execute stored procedures, add tables/views and drop tables/views.
- Upgrading and maintaining Visual KPI: Local admin on the Windows Server machine for the user. For SQL Server, you must have rights to execute stored procedures, add tables/views and drop tables/views.
- Runtime requirements: For the Visual KPI Server to communicate with the SQL Server database, there needs to be an account which has read and write permissions on the Visual KPI database. This account can be one of the following types:
- Local SQL Server account (e.g. SQLuser)
- Local machine account (e.g. NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE)
- Domain service account (e.g. YOUR_DOMAIN\svc_vkpi)
By default, Visual KPI uses NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE as the account for accessing SQL Server, running IIS application pools and executing Windows Services. The is a “least privileges” account and is the preferred choice for the runtime user account with the following characteristics based on single-machine or separate machine deployment:
- When the Visual KPI Server and SQL Server coexist on the same Windows Server, IIS connects to SQL Server as NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE.
- When the Visual KPI Server and SQL Server are installed on separate Windows Servers, IIS connects to SQL Server as [YOUR_DOMAIN]\[your Visual KPI server name]$ (e.g. TRANSPARA\VKPI_1$ where Transpara is the domain name and VKPI_1 is the Windows Server name)
To confirm SQL Server permissions
- Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio client tools.
- Expand Security and then expand Logins and make sure your account has sufficient rights for installing Visual KPI Server.
- Click on your login and check Server Roles by clicking in the Login Properties panel that opens.
- Make sure security admin or higher is checked, or that you meet the requirement as specified above.
Note: These are permissions needed to install and/or upgrade the Visual KPI Server. These permissions are not needed to administer the Visual KPI Designer.
Test your SQL Server permissions
If you want to test your SQL Server permissions, you can create a new database and then delete it. If you can create a new database, you have the correct permissions.
- Right-click on Databases and select New Database.
- Name it “test” and click OK. It should appear as a new database folder under Databases.
- To delete the test, right-click on Databases and select delete.
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