SalesLogix Technical Support Knowledge Base

The Borland Database Engine (BDE) Configuration Utility

What is it?

SalesLogix uses native drivers to connect to the different database platforms that are supported instead of a slower ODBC connection. Borland's Database Engine (BDE) configuration utility contains these drivers and allows the SalesLogix components to connect to InterBase, MS SQL Server, or Oracle databases. Note that SalesLogix only supports InterBase, MS SQL Server, and Oracle as database platforms although many other database types are listed in the BDE configuration utility, including SYBASE and dBASE.

The BDE is installed with every SalesLogix component and can be launched from Programs>SalesLogix>BDE Configuration on the Windows Start menu. The BDE is divided into multiple tabs containing different parameters. These tabs include Drivers, Aliases, System, Date, Time and Number. Do not make any modifications to the System, Date, Time or Number Tabs. The only tabs that may need modification are the Drivers Tab and the Aliases Tab.

The Drivers Tab may need some minor modifications. This tab allows you to set specific drivers for a given database platform. See the sections on InterBase and Oracle for details on setting these driver flags.

The Tab that you will do the most work in is the Aliases Tab. The parameters in this tab allow you to specify a database type, location and user for a given BDE alias. See the sections on InterBase, MS SQL Server and Oracle for details on configuring a BDE alias for SalesLogix.

Aliases & Pathing

InterBase

For an InterBase alias, the SERVER NAME and USER NAME parameters are the only ones that need to be set. The SERVER NAME field should contain the path to the InterBase database. For SalesLogix, the USER NAME should be set to "sysdba." This USER NAME is the user ID of the user whose account will be used by SalesLogix to access the database.

The exact path to be entered in the SERVER NAME field depends on the protocols that are running on the network and the Operating System of the machine on which the database has been installed.

If the Database is on the same machine...

The simplest case is one in which the database is located on the same machine as the SalesLogix component wishing to access the database. In this case, only a local path is required for the SERVER NAME field of the BDE regardless of the Operating System of the machine and regardless of the network protocols. For example "C:\Program Files\Saleslogix\Data\Slxblank21.gdb" would indicate that the database was on the C drive and in the default path.

Windows 95 Network (Peer-to-Peer)

If there is no Windows NT machine available at all, it is possible to place the Database on a Windows 95 machine. However, there are several issues that need to be addressed in this situation.

First, TCP/IP needs to be configured and working as the network protocol. Second, the path to the database entered in the SERVER NAME field of the BDE should follow these conventions: 255.255.255.255:C:\SlxData\Slxblank21.gdb
"255.255.255.255" = the IP address of the machine containing the Database
"C" = the drive letter on that machine that contains the Database
"\SlxData\" = the local path to the Database on that drive on the machine that contains the Database
"Slxblank21.gdb" = the name of the InterBase Database file

It is possible to use the Machine Name of the machine containing the Database instead of the IP address (ex: "MYSERVER:C:\SlxData\Slxblank21.gdb"). However, a Host file must be set up correctly on both the machine containing the Database and the machine containing the SalesLogix component wishing to access the Database in this case. Contact your network administrator for specifics on setting up a Host file. To ensure that this Host file is configured correctly, try to ping the machine containing the Database using its Machine Name.

Windows NT Network

If NetBEUI is being used as the network protocol, the path to the database entered in the SERVER NAME field of the BDE should follow these conventions: \\MYSERVER\C:\SlxData\Slxblank21.gdb
"MYSERVER" = the server that contains the Database
"C" = the drive letter on that server that contains the Database
"\SlxData\" = the local path to the Database on that drive on the server that contains the Database
"Slxblank21.gdb" = the name of the InterBase Database file

If TCP/IP is the only available network protocol, it is still possible to use the UNC conventions listed above. However, if performance problems appear, you may wish to try the following path conventions for the SERVER NAME field of the BDE: 255.255.255.255:C:\SlxData\Slxblank21.gdb
"255.255.255.255" = the IP address of the server containing the Database
"C" = the drive letter on that server that contains the Database
"\SlxData\" = the local path to the Database on that drive on the server that contains the Database
"Slxblank21.gdb" = the name of the InterBase Database file
It is also possible to use the Name of the server containing the Database instead of the IP address (ex: "MYSERVER:C:\SlxData\Slxblank21.gdb") if there is a way to resolve that name. Try to ping the server containing the Database using its server name to check if this resolution exists.

If IPX/SPX is present on a Network...

If the IPX network protocol is even present on a network, the system must be forced to use the TCP/IP network protocol. If this is not done, serious performance problems will arise. Follow the path conventions below for the SERVER NAME field of the BDE to force the system to use TCP/IP: 255.255.255.255:C:\SlxData\Slxblank21.gdb
"255.255.255.255" = the IP address of the server containing the Database
"C" = the drive letter on that server that contains the Database
"\SlxData\" = the local path to the Database on that drive on the server that contains the Database
"Slxblank21.gdb" = the name of the InterBase Database file
It is also possible to use the Name of the server containing the Database instead of the IP address (ex: "MYSERVER:C:\SlxData\Slxblank21.gdb") if there is a way to resolve that name. Try to ping the server containing the Database using its server name to check if this resolution exists.

Driver Flags for InterBase

The Driver Flag parameter in the Drivers tab of the BDE should be set to 512 per Borland's recommendations. To do this, open the BDE and click on the Drivers Tab. Select InterBase from the list of database types on the left. Then scroll through the parameters on the right until you see the DRIVER FLAGS parameter. Make sure that this is set to 512 and then save any changes that were made.

MS SQL Server

For a Microsoft SQL Server alias, the DATABASE NAME, SERVER NAME, and USER NAME parameters are the only ones that need to be set.

The DATABASE NAME field should be set to the name of the database that contains the SalesLogix tables. Unless the database is named something else, this value should typically be set to "SalesLogix." The SERVER NAME should be set to the name of the SQL Server that contains the SalesLogix Database. For SalesLogix, the USER NAME should be set to "sysdba." This USER NAME is the user ID of the user whose account will be used by SalesLogix to access the MS SQL Server database.

Oracle

For an Oracle alias, the SERVER NAME and USER NAME parameters are the only ones that need to be set. In some instances, the PATH parameter may also need to be set.

Windows NT Environment

Make sure that the SERVER NAME parameter for the BDE alias contains the name of the Database Alias that was set up in the Oracle SQL*Net Easy Configuration dialog for the SalesLogix database. This is usually the name of the Oracle Server but may be different. Check with your Oracle Database Administrator if you are unsure of the exact parameter.

For SalesLogix, the USER NAME should be set to "sysdba." This USER NAME is the user ID of the user whose account will be used by SalesLogix to access the database.

Unix Environment

Make sure that the SERVER NAME parameter for the BDE alias contains the name of the Database Alias that was set up in the Oracle SQL*Net Easy Configuration dialog for the SalesLogix database. This is usually the name of the Oracle Server or Oracle Instance. Check with your Oracle Database Administrator if you are unsure of the exact parameter.

For SalesLogix, the USER NAME should be set to "sysdba." This USER NAME is the user ID of the user whose account will be used by SalesLogix to access the database.

If more than one Oracle Server exists on the network, it may be necessary to add the name of the Oracle Server to the PATH parameter of the BDE alias.

Driver Flags for Oracle

The Vendor Init parameter in the Drivers tab of the BDE should be set per Borland's recommendations. To do this, open the BDE and click on the Drivers Tab. Select Oracle from the list of database types on the left. Then scroll through the parameters on the right until you see the VENDOR INIT parameter. This parameter will vary depending on the version of Oracle that is being used and the Operating System of the machine trying to connect to the Oracle Server. Use the table below to set this driver flag and then save any changes that were made.

Oracle VersionMachine's OSVendor Init
Version 7.1Windows NTOraNT71.dll
Version 7.1Windows 95Ora71.dll
Version 7.2Windows NTOraNT72.dll
Version 7.2Windows 95Ora72.dll
Version 7.3Windows NTOraNT73.dll
Version 7.3Windows 95Ora73.dll
Version 8.03Windows NTOraNT803.dll
Version 8.03Windows 95Ora803.dll

Troubleshooting Network Communications

If you are having problems connecting to the main database from a SalesLogix component that is on another machine on the network, there are several different things to check that are dependent on the main database platform.

InterBase

Some general notes when attempting to communicate with an InterBase database:

• Ensure that there are no Windows 3.x machines in the same network domain as the Database Server and the SalesLogix Workgroup. True Client-Server applications can not be supported if any Windows 3.x machines are present on a network. This is a Microsoft limitation.

• Ensure that the BDE alias has been configured correctly per the InterBase Aliases and Pathing section.

Windows NT Database Server

First check that InterBase is running on the Database Server. To do this, open the Control Panel on the server and then open the Services dialog. Scroll through this list until you see InterBase Server. Make sure that the status for this service is Started.

Verify that the server containing the database is visible when browsing the network from Network Neighborhood. Make sure that any shared folders that were set up on this Database Server are also visible through Network Neighborhood. If you are not able to browse to the Database Server, contact the Network Administrator since it would appear that the server is not accessible over the network. This connectivity is required in order for the SalesLogix components to communicate with the database.

Windows 95 Database Server

Make sure that InterBase is running on the Database Server. To do this, look in the Windows System Tray that is in the lower right-hand corner of the grey Start bar. There should be an InterBase icon which contains a green globe. If this icon is not visible, InterBase is not running and must be launched manually. To do this, navigate to the Borland directory under Program Files. Then navigate to IntrBase/Bin and look for the same icon next to the InterBase.exe file. Double click InterBase.exe to launch InterBase as an application.

Verify that the server containing the database is visible when browsing the network from Network Neighborhood. Make sure that any shared folders that were set up on this Database Server are also visible through Network Neighborhood. If you are not able to browse to the Database Server, contact the Network Administrator since it would appear that the server is not accessible over the network. This connectivity is required in order for the SalesLogix components to communicate with the database.

Try and ping the Database Server from the machine with the SalesLogix component using either the machine name or the IP address of the server, depending on which parameter is being used in the SERVER NAME of the BDE alias. If this does not return a reply, it may indicate a problem with network communications. It is best to consult the Network Administrator in this instance.

Borland's ComDG32 Diagnostics Tool

This is a Borland utility that can be used to test the connectivity between a machine containing a SalesLogix component and the InterBase Database Server. It is installed along with Local InterBase in the Bin directory of Program Files/Borland/IntrBase. To use this tool on a machine other than the server, copy all files beginning with ComDG32 and place them in the Program Files/Borland folder of the other machine. Double click the ComDG32.exe file to launch the utility.

MS SQL Server

Some general notes when attempting to communicate with an MS SQL Server database: