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Running the nGenue application

In the previous article, we successfully restored a database in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). The next critical step is to configure the nGenue application by deploying the nGenue executable (.exe) and updating the configuration (.ini) files. This setup ensures that the application can communicate with the restored database and store logs and generated documents in the correct locations.

Proper configuration is essential to prevent runtime errors and misconfigurations.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure the following:

  • The nGenue team has shared the nGenue.ini and nGenue.exe files in the user's designated SharePoint location or shared folder.
  • The shared folder should have both read and write permissions for all intended users.
  • Administrative access is required to update application settings.
  • Confirm that the SQL Server database is restored and accessible.

Process steps

1. Download and place nGenue configuration files

  1. Access the shared folder provided by the nGenue team.
  2. Download the nGenue.exe and nGenue.ini files.
  3. Place both files in the same directory on either the application server or a common shared location.
  4. Ensure that both files have identical base names. For example, nGenue.exe and nGenue.ini.

2. Create necessary subfolders

  1. In the shared folder or the directory where the executable is placed, create two subfolders:

    1. Documents This will be the root folder where the application will store generated PDF reports.
    2. Logs: This will hold all application log files.

  2. Double-check that all users have read and write access to both Documents and Logs folders.

3. Verify SQL Server roles

  1. Run SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).
  2. Connect to the server and access the restored database.
  3. In the Object Explorer window, go to Security and expand Logins. ngenue_app_2
  4. Double click sa to open the Login Properties window. ngenue_app_3
  5. In the User Mapping screen, verify the following database role permissions are checked. Assign these roles if they are missing to avoid authorization errors.
    1. EnTrackAdmin: Grants administrative permissions.
    2. EnTrackUser: Grants standard user access.
    3. nTrack API ACCESS: Grants API access. ngenue_app_4
  6. Click OK.

3.1 Users and permissions

To allow specific users to access the database, you'll need to create a login for your user and give the necessary authorization permissions.

  1. In the Object Explorer window, go to Security > Logins.
  2. Right click on Logins and select New Login... ngenue_app_5

  3. On the General page, enter the user's login name (for example: HRDBLogin), select SQL Server authentication, type a password and confirm it, and keep the following items checked:

    1. Enforce password policy
    2. Enforce password expiration
    3. User must change password at next login ngenue_app_6

  4. In the User Mapping screen, select the database, and assign the necessary permissions. ngenue_app_7

  5. Click OK.

4. Configure the database connection

  1. Open the nGenue.ini file using a text editor (Notepad or Notepad++ recommended).

  2. Update these key parameters:

    • SERVER NAME = <Database Server Name> (Replace with your SQL Server instance name)
    • DATABASE NAME = <nGenue Database Name> (Replace with the name of your restored nGenue database)
    • AUTHORIZATION = SQL or WINDOWS (Use SQL for SQL Authentication and WINDOWS for Windows Authentication) ngenue_app

  3. Save and close the nGenue.ini file.

5. Update Global settings in nGenue

  1. Run the ngenue.exe executable file to launch the nGenue application.
  2. Search for Global Settings and navigate to Global settings > File management.
  3. Update the folder paths to point to the shared locations created:
    1. Root PDF document storage folder: <SharedFolderPath>\Documents
    2. Default log folder: <SharedFolderPath>\Logs
  4. Save the settings to ensure all documents and logs are stored in the correct directories.

6. Final verification

  1. Confirm that both nGenue.exe and nGenue.ini reside in the same folder and share the same base name.
  2. Ensure the location is accessible to all intended users and properly secured.
  3. Launch the nGenue application and ensure it connects to the database without issue
  4. Test by generating a document to verify that the PDF is saved in the Documents folder.
  5. Check the Logs folder to confirm that log entries are being created as expected.