Workgroup and Standalone Databases

Network and asset data for InfoAsset Manager is stored in a centralised, workgroup or standalone database.

Local working copies of parts of the data are then made available in each user's Local Folders.

The database provides a flexible hierarchy for managing asset data and contains all data including ground models. For more information about the rationale behind the database, see the Data Management topic.

The following database types are currently supported by InfoAsset Manager:

Each database has a Unique Database Identifier. When a new database is created, this identifier is generated automatically as a string of letters and numbers taking the form 629810C2-3F6B-11D3-9BF3-00600891B690.

Database versions

Each database has a version number. For example, a database created with version 2023.0 of the software will have a database version of 2023.0. You can choose which version of the database is to be used when you create a database. This can be useful if you collaborate with other users who do not work with the same version of InfoAsset Manager as you.

Note:

The version number of the currently selected database is displayed in the Explorer window.

The first time you use InfoAsset Manager, you will need to create a database.

InfoAsset Manager can be used as both a standalone product or in a workgroup. The Workgroup Server is a server component provided by Innovyze that manages access to workgroup databases by InfoAsset Manager. It is designed to improve the performance and reliability of database operations in a workgroup environment. To share the database as part of a workgroup, it must be located on a machine where it can be accessed by all users.

See the Workgroup Server topic for further details. For details on setting up the server, see the Workgroup Data Administration Guide, which you can download here.

Warning

DO NOT KEEP YOUR DATABASE IN YOUR LOCAL FOLDER DIRECTORY. You run a risk of corrupting your data because Local Folder and Remote Root files may now be saved in the same directory, and these files can potentially have identical names.

SQL Server or Oracle workgroup databases are created using the tools supplied with the database installation. Innovyze provides scripts to format the new database correctly.

A standard workgroup or standalone database is created from within InfoAsset Manager.

To create a new standard database:

  1. Select Open | Open/Create database from the File menu.

    2. The Open Database dialog is displayed. You can create a workgroup or standalone database.

  2. To create a new workgroup database:
    1. Select the Workgroup radio button.
    2. Enter the Server name and Server port in the Workgroup Data Server section of the dialog.
    3. Click Connect.
    4. Click New in the Datatabase section of the dialog.

      The New Database dialog is displayed:

    5. If the database is to belong to a group, specify the name for the group in the Group field.
    6. Specify the name for the new database in the Database field.
    7. From the Database version dropdown, choose which version of the database is to be used for the new workgroup database.
    8. Click OK. The New Database dialog closes and the names of the group and database will be displayed in the Group and Database fields in the Open Database dialog.
  3. To create a new standalone database:
    1. Select the Standalone radio button.
    2. Click New in the Standalone section of the dialog. This displays a standard Windows Save AS dialog.
    3. Enter the name for the new standalone database file. The name of an existing database cannot be used.
    4. From the Database version dropdown, choose which version of the database is to be used for the new standalone database.
    5. Click Open. The Windows Save As dialog closes. The name of the new standalone database is displayed the Standalone section of the Open Database dialog.
  4. Click OK. The Open Database dialog closes and a new database is created.

    The database is made up of:

    • A basic index file with the database name as specified above and an .icmm extension.
    • A data subdirectory of the directory where the .icmm file is located, which will contain the database data. The directory name is automatically generated and will be the same as the database unique identifier.

If you had an open database at the end of your last InfoAsset Manager session, the same database will be open the next time you run InfoAsset Manager.

Select New Explorer window from the Window menu to work with the database. The database tree is displayed in the Explorer Window.

InfoAsset Manager remembers the last 10 most recently opened databases and the associated Local Folders of each database.

To open a database that has previously been opened:

  1. Select the database from the Recent databases list under the File menu.

    In the list, standard workgroup and standalone database names are preceded by their database path e.g. snumbat://localhost:40000/Database_Name (workgroup) and C:/Users/Innovyze/Database_Name (standalone).

To open a database that has not recently been opened:

  1. Choose Open | Open/Create database from the File menu.
    Note

    You cannot use the Open / Create database option to open a database that is already opened as a guest. A suitable message will be displayed if you try to do so. Ensure that you close the guest database before opening it as a database.

  2. To open an existing workgroup database:
    1. Select the Workgroup radio button.
    2. Enter the Server name and Server port in the Workgroup Data Server section of the dialog.
    3. Click Connect.
    4. If the database belongs to a group, select the group from the Group dropdown. This restricts the entries in the Database dropdown list to those that belong to the selected group.
    5. Select the required database from the Database dropdown. If no Group is selected, the names of all available databases, including the name of the group they belong to, if applicable, will be displayed in the list.
  3. To open an existing standalone database:
    1. Select the Standalone radio button.
    2. Click Browse. This displays a standard Windows Open dialog.
    3. Choose the database file (with an extension of .icmm) and then click Open. The Windows Open dialog closes and the name of the selected standalone database is displayed the Standalone section of the Open Database dialog.
  4. Click OK when finished.

When you receive a new version of InfoAsset Manager, existing databases may need to be updated so you can access all new features included in the software. It is recommended that you backup your existing database before you update to a new version. When a database is updated, you, or any other users, will not be able to use it in an older version of InfoAsset Manager.

Oracle or SQL Server databases

If the software version you are updating includes changes to the database tables and fields used by InfoAsset Manager, the SQL Server and Oracle databases may need to be updated. A message will be displayed informing you that you must manually update the databases using a script.

If you do not update every time you are asked to, you will have to run several scripts in the correct order to update a database.

The process to update an Oracle or SQL Server database requires running scripts on the Oracle/SQL Server server. Full instructions on updating these databases can be found in the Workgroup Data Server Administration document, which can be downloaded from the Innovyze web site.

Standard database

A standard workgroup or standalone database is updated from within InfoAsset Manager.

Warning

You must ensure that there are no users accessing the databases before you attempt to update them.

There are two methods for updating a database:

Updates the currently selected database to the latest version of the database.

To use this method:

  1. Select Database update | Update current database to latest version from the File menu. The currently selected workgroup or standalone database is updated to the latest version.

Lets you choose which database is to be updated and what version of the database it is to be updated to.

To use this method:

  1. Select Database update | Update database from the File menu. This displays the Open Database dialog.
  1. To update a workgroup database:
    1. Select the Workgroup radio button.
    2. Enter the Server name and Server port in the Workgroup Data Server section of the dialog.
    3. Click Connect.
    4. If the database belongs to a group, select the group from the Group dropdown. This restricts the entries in the Database dropdown list to those that belong to the selected group.
    5. Select the required database from the Database dropdown. If no Group is selected, the names of all available databases, including the name of the group they belong to, if applicable, will be displayed in the list.
  1. To update a standalone database:
    1. Select the Standalone radio button.
    2. Click Browse. This displays a standard Windows Open dialog.
    3. Choose the database file (with an extension of .icmm) and then click Open. The Windows Open dialog closes and the name of the selected standalone database is displayed the Standalone section of the Open Database dialog.
  1. From the Update to dropdown, choose which version of the database the selected workgroup database is to be updated to.
  2. Click OK. The selected database is updated to the latest version.
Warning

Never copy a database, rename the copy, and then carry on using the new and original databases.

You can move a Standard database to a new location if needed. You must copy the database file and the additional file data for the database to work correctly.

With an Oracle or SQL Server database, you can move the Remote Root directories to a new location and then change your Remote Roots to point at the new locations. See File Locations for more details on what files make up the database.

Never copy a database, rename the copy, and then carry on using the new and original databases.

Every database has a Unique Database Identifier used to manage files in the local folders, and in some circumstances, files that form part of the database itself.

If you work with two databases that have the same Unique Database Identifier your working files will get mixed up and you run a very real risk of losing or corrupting data. Because your working copies of networks may well be based on the same root network, it could be difficult to spot that these problems are occurring.

The correct way to copy data is to create a new database, and then open the existing database as a guest to copy data from. Alternatively, use a Transportable Database to transfer data from the old to the new database. This approach is designed to:

  • let you copy data into a new database or an existing database that already contains data
  • protect the integrity of the data in both databases
  • support copying data between databases of different types

See Copying Data Between Databases for further information.

A database cannot be deleted directly from InfoAsset Manager. This reduces the chance of databases being lost accidentally. However, InfoAsset Manager does include an option for deleting database items. These items will remain in the Recycle Bin until you empty it or restore the items.

To delete a Standard database, use the standard Windows procedures. The database is made up of:

  • A basic index file with a .icmm extension.
  • A data subdirectory of the directory where the .icmm file is located containing the database data. The directory name is the same as the database identifier.

To delete an Oracle or SQL Server database use the tools supplied with SQL Server/Oracle. Speak to the administrator of the database server.

Database properties can be viewed from theExplorer Window.

  • Right-click the database icon in the tree view in the Explorer Window and select Properties from the context menu to display the About Box.
  • Hover the mouse cursor over the database icon in the tree view to display a tooltip including database path and GUID information.

Data Management

Workgroup Server

New Database Dialog

Copying Data Between Databases

Backing Up Your Data

Managing Version Controlled Items

Data Flags

Using Hyperlinks

Database Items

Transportable Databases

Explorer Window

Asset Groups

Recycle Bin