VisiPulse - Business Intelligence New Customer Setup
This document describes the steps required to setup a new customer for Birst usage.

Process Overview

Preliminary Customer Site Setup:
Before getting a copy of the customers database the database needs to be prepped, these are the steps for that prep.

Data Prep on Softrol Servers.
  1. After above steps are complete get a backup of the customer's web site and restore it to the softrol Demo server.
  2. Name the DB as xxx_for_Birst. This is to help us identify the DB as a production DB.
  3. Add views for to Softrol Copy of DB. Click here to get the view script.
  4. Add the new site to the softrol database "Birst_Export", by making an entry into the Site_Code_Authentication table. This will give a password and a connection string to site.
  5. Run PPSMon.exe and connect to the new DB. This program is on the Demo Server.
    1. Run "Settings -> Import/export"
    2. Select BA Prep Step
    3. Run step from 10/1/2009 until today. This adds idle time records for each day
  6. Alter the program: C:\DNablo_progs\Birst_Export\bin\Deployment\Full_Data_Transfer.dtsx on the demo server to include the new site. This is not an easy task and there is a two step process. First a DTX package needs to be created for the new site and then that package needs to be integrated with the Full_Data_Transfer step. Plan on this taking from 2-4 hours. This task is scheduled through the SQL Server Manager -> Sql Server Agent -> Jobs Tab.
  7. Test the New DTS Package. This can be done via the link on the Transfer to Birst Staging DB link on the BI Status Support Site.
Program installation on Customer Site PPS PC or Server

A program BusIntel_Client.exe needs to be installed on the customers PPS PC or server. This program can be downloaded from here.

The files in the zip file need to be copied to the base folder for the softrol programs on the customers PPS PC. Typically C:\Program Files\Softrol\BusIntel. 

Once copied the programs app.config file needs to be altered to identify the customers site. From the data set in the "Data Prep on Softrol Servers" Step. Here are the app settings which need to be set

' application settings section alter these keys. ' the Connect_String" key points to the local PPS database < add key="Site_Code" value="XXX.001" < add key="Auth_Code" value="yyyyy" < add key="Connect_String" value="DSN=PPS;UID=pps;PWD=pps;" This program needs to be scheduled to run after the last PPS Nightly process item. The scheduled task must include an "/unattended" command line option.  See the Notes Tab of the program for details.

NOTE: Change to client host file needs to be made. This file (typically at C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts) needs an entry to resolve the lois.softrol.com used by the BusIntel_Client.exe. There should be a line entry in the file which looks like this: 69.199.5.68 lois.softrol.com # lois web site Test the program by clicking the programs exe file and running the steps of the program.


Birst User access Setup:
  1. An email address will be needed for each user site. By default we will create a user email in softrols email server. This is to cut down on the complexity of the set up for the invited user. Here are the steps for setting up the user
  2. Obtain a softrol email address the format of the email address should be BI.sitecode@softrol.com with a password of the standard sports password. SiteCode would be replaced with the site code for the customer site eg: BI.HLS.001@softrol.com
  3. Enter the new site code and the email address in the birst_export DB table name = User_Site_Code
  4. Invite new user to birst space.
  5. Retrive Email for new user from softrol mail server (mail.softrol.com) and set up birst access to the site.


Testing
To be written.



Add Link to Customers PPS Reports for access to birst.
This currently has to hard code the site and link on the page.