Alchemex Install Best Practices

Alchemex 6.
x Installation Best Practices

Purpose
This tutorial / best practices document is purposely intended to be simple

and to the point. The intention is to empower you with all the information
required to complete a working and solid Alchemex installation. This forms
part of the Installation Best Practices series for Alchemex as well as the
Web Solution and Security Module.
Be prepared
Before going on site to do an installation you need to have taken care of the
following:
• Get a copy of the signed order, as this will confirm the nature and
number of licenses to be installed as well as any additional items
such as reports.
• You will also need a copy of the pre-installation document which will
confirm that all the necessary pre-installation requirements have
been met by the client.
• Establish your contacts list. This list should include, but need not be
exclusive, a member from the IT Department (preferably the Network
Administrator) as well as the Alchemex Administrator end user.
• Set your appointment date and time and re-confirm the appointment
at least a day prior to the install.
• Secure your copy of the relevant Alchemex installation CD i.e.
Alchemex for Accpac CD, Alchemex for SAP Business One CD,
Alchemex for SYSPRO CD or Alchemex Generic CD, as well as the
Serialisation Details.
• Always carry a spare Generic Alchemex & Web Install CD as well as a
copy of ALL the Standard Template sets. (Covering all available
source data types as well) – Having a copy of all the above on a
Memory Stick wont hurt either.
Pre-Installation requirements
Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

Tel 0861 102302; Fax 0861 112870; info@alchemex.com; www.alchemex.com;
Alchemex House 4 Derby Place, Derby Downs, Westville, 3630
Registered as: Alchemex (Pty) Ltd., Reg. No. 2001/023937/07, VAT Reg. No. 4890204284
Let us get into more detail on just a few of the key aspects relating to the
pre-installation requirements as losing the plot here could seriously upset
your day and weeks to come.
This requirement can be split in to Hardware, Software and Network
Infrastructure, but lets look at it from a strategic best practices point of
view.
Software
• What data sources will we be connecting to?
o Confirm data source e.g. MS SQL, MySQL, C-ISAM, Pervasive
(2000, v8.6 or v9) Oracle, DB2, MaxDB etc.
o Are we dealing with Client /Server or Workstation
configurations?
o Have the ADO/ODBC drivers/software been loaded and
confirmed working on all workstations having Alchemex
installed.
• MS Excel needs to be pr-loaded onto all workstations having
Alchemex installed.
Hardware/Network Infrastructure
• Confirm that you will we have access to all the workstations having
Alchemex installed on that day.
• Confirm access to the Server. Will it be direct or via Terminal
Server/VNC
• Confirm access to a CD Drive or USB port on at least one of the
workstations/server.
• Confirm ALL relevant Domain Users/ Workgroups have full read write
permissions to the pre-created Alchemex directory on the Server.
• Confirm if Internet Access is direct or via proxy & get details.
All dressed up and ready to go!
Right lets get our hands dirty.

Yes there are other ways and yes you can trot straight on to the Server
room and work from a semi-standing seated position squinting at the
1024x768 resolution text on a rather out of focus 14” monitor whilst trying

to navigate the cursor by rolling the mouse off the side of an old filing
cabinet. (No you can’t use the top of the monitor, that’s where the
keyboard is currently precariously balanced)
OR If you want to get it right first time – do it the lazy-mans way.
On arrival, after all the introductions and formalities are over, make your
way to the Workstation where the Administrator Licensed copy of Alchemex
is to be installed.
(In most cases this will be one of the better/best PC’s on the premises with
at least one 17”+ monitor and a working CD Drive.) This is where you will
be spending most of your time. BTW – This guide assumes you are
fortunate enough to be installing on a pre Vista OS (XP Win2000) as Vista
has a few additional quirks that will be covered elsewhere in the document.
Administrator’s Workstation
• Confirm that the currently logged in Domain User is the actual User
Account that will be used to run the Alchemex Software.
• Insert the Alchemex CD into the CD Drive – If it auto launches then
cancel it. I prefer to only use the Alchemex Generic CD since the Web
Solution will only work with the Generic Alchemex version and
because the other versions install ALL templates regardless of which
were purchased or not.
• Open up MS Explorer (Right Click on “START” and select “Explore” )
• Now type in the UNC path to the pre-created Alchemex folder on the
pre-arranged Server. e.g. \\server\Alchemex\ DO NOT use Mapped
Drives – get into the habit of using UNC’s - I will refer to
\\server\Alchemex for the remainder of the document – just replace
with whatever path is relevant to your install. (Personally I prefer
direct IP i.e. \\192.168.10.1\Alchemex but let’s not complicate
matters)
• If you cannot find the Alchemex folder (because the IT chap forgot to
create it), get hold of the relevant IT contact and have them create it.
Remind them that ALL the designated Alchemex users MUST have full
read and write access to that folder and that these permissions must
propagate to all the child folders. I would not suggest you create the
folder nor set the user permissions yourself as you could open

yourself up to all kinds of problems like being blamed for every single
IT issue that happens from then ad infinitum.
• Right, you are in the \Alchemex folder on the Server so let’s test if
they got it right. Right click in an open spot in the right hand pane
and select “New” / “Text Document” – Launch this “New Text
Document.txt” and type a few character then Save and Close it. – If it
saves and closes you have just confirmed that at least the current
workstation has full Read/Write permissions to the \Alchemex folder
on the Server. If not then go call that IT chap again and have them
sort it out.
• Create a folder called “AlchCD” as well as AlchTemp off the
\\server\Alchemex\ path thus \\server\Alchemex\AlchCD and copy the
entire contents of the Alchemex Install CD to the AlchCD folder. Now
we do not have to contend with missing/faulty CD Drives at the
remaining workstation installs. Remove and store CD back in the
case.
• Navigate into the \\server\Alchemex\AlchCD folder and launch the
install by double clicking “Setup”
• Follow the on screen instructions until the installation is completed. (It
is a good idea to stick to the default install path of C:\Alchemex60 –
try not to change it.
• Navigate to Start/All Programs/Alchemex and launch the Alchemex
Administrator.
• If Internet Access is via Proxy – Highlight “Enterprise” by clicking on it
once, now select “Tools”/ “Configure Internet Connection” and
populate the relevant fields in the popup properties box. E.g. Access
Type - Proxy, Proxy Address – 192.168.10.2:8080, Prompt for Login
(YES if Password required and NO if no password is required) then
Apply changes and close the popup box.
• Click on the icon representing a Key – this will take you to the License
Manager. – Type in the Name and Serial Number details – keep in
mind the Name must be exactly as per the registered details and
both fields are case sensitive.
• Select “Perform Serialisation” enter your password and follow the on
screen prompts. (Remember if Internet Proxy requires a Password you
will be prompted for that first) You will be prompted if you wish to
update client libraries – say “Yes” I prefer to review the progress thus
always select Yes when prompted.

• As a precaution, always double check that Enabling Dongle is ticked
in the left pane then continue by selecting “Run Updates (All Selected
Steps)
• BTW forget about serializing using the Report Manger, the process is
currently bugged and will leave you in an endless loop of
serializations.
• Re-launch Alchemex License & Upgrade Tool (Start/All
Programs/Alchemex) and select “Get Software Updates” – enter the
customers Alchemex password and follow the onscreen instructions.
• You are now ready to launch the Report Manager for the first time so
navigate to Start/All Programs/Alchemex and select Report Manager.
The first popup will ask you if you wish to connect to an existing
Metabase or Create an New Metabase. Obviously you need to select
“Create a New Metabase” and then point it to be created in the
Server Folder under \\server\Alchemex\. This step creates your
“common” SVD as well as the Templates folder. You will also be
prompted to select a license type – select the relevant one and you
are done. As we started off at the Administrator we would of course
select Administrator License in this instance.
• Find the Demo Folder in the Report Manager and run out Management
Pack off the RKL Database reports to test that all is well and that
Excel launches correctly and that Macro’s are set to Off or preferably
Prompt under Macro Security options in Excel.
• Minimise the Report Manger and re-launch Administrator.
• Find the relevant ODBC connection and create the connection to the
required data sources as per usual - i.e. in the case of MS SQL –
double click “Enterprise”, right click on “ODBC Driver for SQL Server”
and select “Add Connection” then populate – Server Name, Database
Name, SQL Username and Password with details as supplied by
customer. Right click on your new connection select “Check/Test” and
confirm connection succeeds.
• Now get your copy of the Templates, be it CD or Flash Drive and copy
the purchased templates to the \\server\Alchemex\AlchTemp folder on
the server. Take care to import for the correct Accounting pack,
Version, as well as correct database type.
• You can now import the saved reports to Alchemex in the usual way.
(F1 to select Help file, if you don’t know how. – Lets hope that’s not
necessary)

• A final test would be to run out the newly imported reports to test
that each of them works as expected.
• You have now completed the laborious time consuming part and all
that remain are the quick 10 minutes per install on the remaining
workstations.
Review of Actions
We have achieved the following.
1. Alchemex Metabase (SVD and Templates) residing in a shared folder

on the server. You will notice that there is NO Alchemex
installed on the server. Thus no .exe, DLL’s nor registry
entries reside on the server. For all intents and purposes the
server acts as a glorified 24/7 shared folder. The only time
Alchemex needs to be installed on a server is when it is required to
be available 24/7 to be launched as a com service by the Request
Server(Web) as part of the Alchemex Web Solution. (Covered as a
separate topic)
2. Alchemex Administrator installed and working
3. All ODBC connections created and working
4. All templates imported and working
5. You are 90% there – Congratulations.
The Final Stretch
The remaining workstation installations will each consist of the following

procedure.
• Confirm that the currently logged in Domain User is the actual User
Account that will be used to run the Alchemex Software on the
machine.
• Open up MS Explorer (Right Click on “START” and select “Explore” )
• Navigate to \\server\Alchemex\
• Launch this previously created “New Text Document.txt” and type a
few extra characters then Save and Close it. – If it saves and closes
you have just confirmed that this workstation has full Read/Write

permissions to the \Alchemex folder on the Server. If not then get the
IT crowd to sort it out.
• Navigate to the \\server\Alchemex\AlchCD folder and launch the
install by double clicking “Setup”
• Follow the on screen instructions until the installation is completed. (It
is a good idea to stick to the default install path of C:\Alchemex60 –
try not to change it.
• Navigate to Start/All Programs/Alchemex and launch the Alchemex
Administrator.
• If Internet Access is via Proxy – Highlight “Enterprise” by clicking on it
once, now select “Tools”/ “Configure Internet Connection” and
populate the relevant fields in the popup properties box. E.g. Access
Type - Proxy, Proxy Address – 192.168.10.2:8080, Prompt for Login
(YES if Password required and NO if no password is required) then
Apply changes and close the popup box.
• Click on the icon representing a Key – this will take you to the License
Manager. – Type in the Name and Serial Number details – keep in
mind the Name and the Serial number must be exactly as per the
registered details and both fields are case sensitive.
• Select “Perform Serialisation” enter your password and follow the on
screen prompts. (Remember if Internet Proxy requires a Password you
will be prompted for that first) You will be prompted if you wish to
update client libraries – say “Yes” I prefer to review the progress thus
always select Yes when prompted.
• As a precaution always double check that Enabling Dongle is ticked in
the left pane then continue by selecting “Run Updates (All Selected
Steps)
• Remember serializing using the Report Manger is a NO NO, the
process is currently bugged and will leave you in an endless loop of
serializations.
• Re-launch Alchemex License & Upgrade Tool (Start/All
Programs/Alchemex) and select “Get Software Updates” – enter the
customers Alchemex password and follow the onscreen instructions.
• You are now ready to launch the Report Manager for the first time on
this workstation so navigate to Start/All Programs/Alchemex and
select Report Manager. The first popup will ask you if you wish to
connect to an existing Metabase or Create a New Metabase.
Obviously you need to select “Connect to an Existing Metabase” and

then point it to the exisiting Server Folder under \\server\Alchemex\
This step links you to the exisitng “common” SVD as well as the
Templates folder. You will also be prompted to select a license type –
select the relevant one and you are done. (Keep in mind that if you
select Report Viewer License” that the Report Manager will fail to
open and that you will have to test the templates by launching a PR0
– PR5 file instead)
• On the PR0 subject – I prefer creating them then saving them in a PR1
folder under \\server\Alchemex\PR1 then just leaving a shortcut to
that folder on the users desktop.
• A final test would be to run out the newly imported reports to test
that each of them work as expected and that Excel behaves as
expected. (Incl. Macro’s security etc.)
•
In Closing
On average I would suggest booking a full day for installation, getting the
install covered as quickly as possible and using all the remaining time in
familiarizing the Administrator and Report Writers with the basic
functionality of the product.
Remember the objective is to pass on as much information as possible to
enable the end users to buy into the product and not just see it as “yet
another darn tool” and go back to using their old “tried and tested” time
consuming methods just because we never took the time to build up their
confidence and show them just how exciting and feature rich the product is.
We cannot pass on everything there is to know in a day (even a month
come to think of it) but we can plant the seeds to entice the user to take
the next step and venture into a journey of discovery by studying the Help
File end to end.
Another thought. Don’t pass on more information than the user is able to
cope with in one sitting. Rather establish their level of proficiency and
needs and stick to features relevant to their skill level and immediate
required outputs. Thus forget about punting Complex Joins and Pass
Through Variables to someone that spells SQL with a “C” and who only
really need to run out simple reports.

In order to find additional information on the product or get any other
technical assistance, please ensure that you are familiar with the listing
below.
Alchemex Contact Information

+27 (0)31 266 Support
9112/3/6
Online Training Sales Client References
Knowledge Base Alchemex Web Site Forum
If you know of anyone who will benefit from using Alchemex -
PLEASE contact sales.


Alchemex Install Best Practices

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Alchemex 6.

x Installation Best Practices

This tutorial / best practices document is purposely intended to be simple

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

All dressed up and ready to go!

Right lets get our hands dirty.

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

We have achieved the following.

1. Alchemex Metabase (SVD and Templates) residing in a shared folder

The Final Stretch

The remaining workstation installations will each consist of the following

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

Alchemex Contact Information

Directors: G Boddington, D Smith, C Teversham, S Coull, S Elliott, J Pienaar (Non-Executive)

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