Metrics Management installs, maintains, and backs up a SQL Server Express database called the Standard database. The Standard database does not require a database administrator or additional software.
Metrics Management supports two additional database types, SQL Server and Oracle. Consider using a SQL Server or Oracle database if:
You already use a SQL Server or Oracle database in your organization.
Your company policy requires one of the database types.
You require enterprise scale deployment with a high level of availability, backup capability, and scalability.
Metrics Management provides tools to export a Standard database to these other database types. These tools support deploying a Standard database structure into one of the other available database types. Actuate recommends that you design and test your database structure in a Standard database before deploying to your production environment.
About creating a SQL Server or Oracle database
The system specialist creates a SQL Server or Oracle database in Metrics Management using one of two options in Servers and Databases: Create database or Create database from a SQL script. Consult with your SQL Server or Oracle database administrator to decide which method is appropriate:
Create database. In Metrics Management, the system specialist specifies settings to connect to the SQL Server or Oracle database server. This method requires creating a master user in SQL Server or Oracle. Metrics Management uses the master user to connect to the SQL Server or Oracle database when creating the database.
Create database from a SQL Script. The system specialist creates the SQL Server or Oracle database by importing a SQL script into Metrics Management. This method is suitable for enterprise organizations whose corporate policies prevent sharing master user privileges with the Metrics Management system specialist.
Before creating a SQL Server or Oracle database in Metrics Management, ensure that you meet the appropriate requirements in the sections below.
About SQL Server database requirements
Before creating the SQL Server database, ensure that you have the latest version of Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) installed. Also ensure that SQL Server has sufficient licenses for the number of connections from the Metrics Management server.
About Oracle database requirements
Connecting the Metrics Management Server to an Oracle database requires installing the appropriate Oracle Data Access Components (ODAC). The machine running the Metrics Management Server requires the Oracle OLE DB provider and Oracle Data Provider for .NET (ODP.NET) framework. To install the ODACs, Actuate recommends using the Oracle Universal Installer for ODAC. Alternatively, use either of the following installers:
Oracle Database Client installer for Windows.
Oracle Database Server installer for Windows. Perform a custom installation and select Oracle provider for OLEDB.
To operate Metrics Management on a 64-bit system, you must use the following ODACs:
To run the 32-bit version of Metrics Management, Metrics Management requires the 32-bit Oracle OLE DB provider and 32-bit ODP.NET provider.
To run the 64-bit version of Metrics Management, Metrics Management requires the 32-bit Oracle OLE DB provider and 64-bit ODP.NET provider.
Creating a Metrics Management master user in SQL Server
Creating a connection from Metrics Management to a SQL Server database requires creating two users in the SQL Server database. Metrics Management requires a Metrics Management master user and a regular Metrics Management user with reduced rights. To create the users, consult your SQL Server database administrator.
Metrics Management requires the master user to create the database in SQL Server and to delete the database from SQL Server. After the database is created, Metrics Management no longer requires the Metrics Management master user account. For security purposes, Metrics Management discards the password associated with this account. Record the master user credentials for future use in the event that you decide to delete the database. To delete the database, you must provide the Metrics Management master user account credentials.
The Metrics Management master user requires rights to create and delete tables and records for Metrics Management’s use on SQL Server. The Metrics Management master user must have write access to the master database and have the role of database creator. The default database must be the master database.
Metrics Management supports using Windows integrated security when creating a database. Ensure the database administrator creates the SQL Server login in the following format for the Windows user:
domain\username
Metrics Management uses the regular Metrics Management user’s account to connect to the SQL Server database after the database is created.
Creating a Metrics Management master user in Oracle
To create an Oracle database in Servers and Databases using Create database, your Oracle database administrator must create a Metrics Management master user. The Metrics Management master user requires rights to create the Metrics Management user in Oracle. The Metrics Management master user requires the following rights:
Create user
Drop user
Unlimited tablespace with admin option
Connect with admin option
Resource with admin option
Create procedure with admin option
Create trigger with admin option
Create view with admin option
The following sample SQL code illustrates how to create the Metrics Management master user in Oracle with sufficient rights to create the Oracle database:
create user scmaster identified by scmaster default tablespace system account unlock;
grant create user to scmaster;
grant drop user to scmaster;
grant unlimited tablespace to scmaster with admin option;
grant connect to scmaster with admin option;
grant resource to scmaster with admin option;
grant create procedure to scmaster with admin option;
grant create trigger to scmaster with admin option;
grant create view to scmaster with admin option;
After the database is created, Metrics Management no longer uses the Metrics Management master user account. Metrics Management creates another user with limited rights to the Oracle server. The new user performs data transactions only.
You already use a SQL Server or Oracle database in your organization.