Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL

Converting Your OfficeMate
Database from Access to SQL
In this document
• Preparing Your Systems, 2
• Converting Your Database, 5
• Setting Up Your Workstations, 6
• Backing Up Your Data, 7
This document covers the steps necessary to install Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Express Edition (SQL Express) and convert your OfficeMate database from Access
to SQL Express.
Notes
• This installation requires OfficeMate 7.3 and will not work with
earlier or later versions of OfficeMate. This installer will be updated
as new versions of OfficeMate become publicly available. To
download OfficeMate 7.3, go to
http://www.officemate.net/officemate_73update.aspx.
• If you have installed the beta of a later version of OfficeMate, this
installer will not work, even if you attempt to downgrade to
OfficeMate 7.3.
• This installation is designed to perform a clean installation only and
should not be used to fix or reinstall a previous SQL installation.
• The resulting SQL database can be used with all versions of Microsoft
SQL Server 2005 without additional conversions.
Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL 1

Preparing Your Systems Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL
Preparing
Your Systems
Before you can convert your OfficeMate database, you must back up your existing
data, download the conversion software, and install SQL Express. Follow the
instructions in this section to
• To download the software, 2
• To install SQL Express, 2
Notes
• Back up your data before proceeding with the installation and
conversion. For more information about backing up your OfficeMate
data, go to
http://www.officemate.net/pdfs/Data%20Backup%20Best%20Pra
ctices.pdf.
• We recommend that the OfficeMate Access databases reside on, or
are copied to, the server on which you plan to install OfficeMate SQL
Express to speed up the conversion process. This is not required, but
enables the database-intensive conversion program to run more
reliably and quickly.
To download the software
1 If you haven’t done so already, download OfficeMate 7.3 from
http://www.officemate.net/officemate_73update.aspx and install OfficeMate
7.3 on each workstation.
2 Download the SQL Express Installation Wizard and Access2SQL conversion
program onto the server. The installation wizard and conversion program are
contained in a single file: SQLInstall730.exe. To download SQLInstall730.exe,
go to http://www.officemate.net/dwnld/OMSQL/SQLInstall730.exe.
To install SQL Express
1 Launch the SQLInstall730.exe on the server. For information on downloading
SQLInstall730.exe, go to To download the software on page 2.
The OfficeMate SQL Express Installation window opens.
2 Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL

Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL
Preparing Your Systems
2 Type OfficemateSQL as the password and click Next.
The program installs and configures SQL Express in preparation for the
database conversion. This process may take up to 30 minutes, depending on the
speed of your server. This program does not convert the database (go to
Converting Your Database on page 5). The server installation program performs
the following tasks:
− Installs Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
− Creates a desktop icon for the Access2SQL conversion program
− Installs Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
− Installs Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express
− Copies and attaches a blank OMateSQL database for conversion
− Creates the proper OM_User and OM_RO_User SQL Users and sets
the necessary permissions
−
−
Notes
• OM_User has server administration permissions and is used by
OfficeMate and ExamWRITER.
• OM_RO_User is a read-only user that can be used by the client
for custom reporting.
Copies the Access2SQL conversion programs into the new C:\OM_SQL
directory
Creates a new OMate32.ini with the proper SQL settings in the new
C:\OM_SQL directory
Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL 3

Preparing Your Systems Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL
The OfficeMate SQL Express Installer may display the following
self-registration error message. This error is normal with this installation.
3 Click OK to dismiss the error message and continue the installation.
The OfficeMate SQL Installer displays the following dialog when the installation
is complete.
4 Click Finish to close the installation wizard.
5 If the OfficeMate software is installed on the server, copy the OMate32.ini file
from the C:\OM_SQL directory to C:\WINDOWS, overwriting the existing
file.
OR
If OfficeMate was not installed on the server, modify the OMate32.ini file by
editing or adding the DATADIR entry to point to the directory containing the
4 Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL

Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL
Converting Your Database
OfficeMate Access databases. Then, copy the OMate32.ini file from the
C:\OM_SQL directory to C:\WINDOWS, overwriting the existing file.
6 To continue the migration from Access to SQL, go to Converting Your
Database on page 5 and follow the conversion instructions.
Converting
Your
Database
After successfully installing the OfficeMate SQL Express server, you must convert the
OfficeMate Access databases to SQL. The amount of time required to convert the
database from Access to SQL depends on the size of your database.
Perform the following steps to convert the database from Access to SQL:
1 Ensure that all users have exited OfficeMate, ExamWRITER, and
ReportWRITER before starting the database conversion.
2 Double-click the Acceess2SQL shortcut that the OfficeMate SQL Express
Installer created on the desktop.
The conversion progress displays.
The Access2SQL conversion program performs the following tasks:
− Creates a zip backup of all Access database files, located at
DATADIR\OMDataBackupAccToSQL.zip
− Converts all Access database information, table-by-table, to the SQL
database
− Renames all Access database files when completed
Access2SQL displays a message stating “Conversion completed successfully!”
when the conversion is complete.
Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL 5

Setting Up Your Workstations Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL
Note
If Access2SQL encounters a problem during the conversion, an
error message is displayed.
Click OK to review the Conversion Error Log file. If the log file
does not open, open the
DATADIR\ConvertErrorInfoMMDDYYYY.log file to review
the errors.
The error file may be quite long because each record in each table
that encountered an error throughout the conversion is listed.
3 Click OK to close the completion message.
The Conversion Status Log file opens confirming that each table was converted
completely and verifies the number of records moved. If the log file does not
open, open the DATADIR\ConvertStatusInfoMMDDYYYY.log file to review
the log.
4 To continue the migration from Access to SQL, go to Setting Up Your
Workstations on page 6 and follow the workstation setup instructions.
Setting Up
Your
Workstations
After successfully converting the database, each workstation’s OMate32.ini file must
be modified. As part of the server installation, a modified OMate32.ini file was created
in the C:\OM_SQL directory. Use this OMate32.ini file as the model for the required
6 Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL

Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL
Backing Up Your Data
modifications to the workstation files. To update the OMate.ini file on each of the
workstations, perform the following steps:
1 Update the ADOConnection section with the new SQL database settings, as
shown in the following example. Substitute SERVER_NAME with the network
name of your server.
[ADOConnection]
ConnectThru=MSDE
Databasename=OMATESQL
DataSource=SERVER_NAME\SQLEXPRESS
2 Update the System section with the new SQL database settings, as shown in the
following example.
Note Not all of the settings must be changed. OfficeMate and
ExamWRITER C:\WINDOWS
MSDE must still be able to access data in the OMATE32
folder. C:\OMATE32
OMATESQL
S:\OMATE32\DATA
Use the following example SERVER_NAME\SQLEXPRESS
S:\OMATE32\DATA
to update the system settings, given that C: is the
local program S:\OMATE32\DATA
directory and is the server directory. Substitute C: and S: with
your own drive letters.
S:\OMATE32\DATA
S:\OMATE32\DATA\emc
[System] C:\OMATE32\VSP C: = Local program directory
S: = Server directory
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
PgmsDir=C:\OMATE32
DataDir=S:\OMATE32\DATA
CatalogDir=S:\OMATE32\DATA
CareDir=S:\OMATE32\DATA
LettersDir=S:\OMATE32\DATA
EMCDir=S:\OMATE32\DATA\emc
VSPDir=C:\OMATE32\VSP
3 Save your changes to the OMate32.ini file and copy the file to the WINDOWS
directory of each workstation.
Backing Up
Your Data
Use Microsoft SQL Management Studio Express to back up the SQL databases
residing on your server. If you decide to move the data to another location or another
drive partition, ensure that SQL Management Studio Express is backing up the
database from that new location.
If you use the eDocuments or ExamDRAW features, you also need to continue to
back up the contents of the OMATE32\DATA folder with the exception of the
Access MDB files.
Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL 7

Backing Up Your Data Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL
8 Converting Your OfficeMate Database from Access to SQL