May 28, 1999

Microsoft Office Server Extensions (OSE) store collaboration data in a database. This database is either a Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) database or a Microsoft SQL Server database.

When you install OSE, the collaboration database you use depends on the following conditions:

• If you have SQL Server version 6.5 already installed on your server, you must use SQL Server 6.5 for the OSE collaboration database.
• If you have SQL Server version 7.0 installed, OSE uses SQL Server 7.0 for the database.
• If no version of SQL Server is installed on the server, OSE uses MSDE for the database. (MSDE is included in OSE.)

With either MSDE or SQL Server 7.0, the collaboration database is created automatically when you configure OSE. With SQL Server 6.5, however, you must create the collaboration database before you can install and configure OSE.

If you have never used SQL Server 6.5 before, you might find it useful to have a roadmap as you create a database for OSE. This article outlines the basic steps to follow as you create, configure, and use a SQL Server 6.5 database for your OSE collaboration database.

Note  Database performance is improved in SQL Server 7.0. If you are not using SQL Server 6.5 for other data on your server, consider upgrading to SQL Server 7.0. Alternatively, you can remove SQL Server 6.5 and use MSDE. MSDE is a subset of SQL Server 7.0 and has the same performance improvements.

Create a SQL Server 6.5 database

If you have Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 installed on your server, you must create a collaboration database in SQL Server 6.5 before you can install Office Server Extensions. The following procedures guide you through these steps:

• Registering the SQL Server
• Creating a database device
• Creating a collaboration database
• Creating an ODBC data source

Register the SQL Server

If you have not used SQL Server 6.5 since it was installed, you must register your server and start the SQL Server service before you can create a database.

To register and start a SQL Server

1. On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, and click SQL Enterprise Manager.
2. On the Server menu, click Register Server.

   The Register Server dialog box opens, as shown in the illustration following this procedure.

3. In the Server box , enter the name of your server computer.
4. Under Login information, click Use Standard Security, and then enter your ID and password in the Login ID and Password boxes.
5. Click Register to register the server.

   SQL Server adds your server name to the list in the Server Manager window.

6. In the Server Manager window, right-click the server you just added, and then click Start.

Create a database device

Before you can create the collaboration database, you must also create a device to help control the database.

To create a database device

1. In the Server Manager window, click the plus sign (+) next to your new server name to display the services for that server.
2. In the list of services, right-click the Database Devices folder, and click New Device.

   The New Database Device dialog box opens, as shown in the illustration following this procedure.

3. In the Name box , type a name for the new database device.

   For example, type ServerName_OSE for an OSE collaboration database device.

4. In the Size (MB) box, type the size of the device you want to create.

   The recommended minimum size is 100 MB.

5. Click Create Now to create the device.

   The new database device now appears in the Server Manager window.

Create a collaboration database

After you have started SQL Server and created the database device, you are ready to create the collaboration database.

To create the collaboration database

1. In the Server Manager window, right-click the Databases folder, and click New Database.

   The New Database dialog box opens, as shown in the illustration following this procedure.

2. In the Name box , type a name for the new database.

   For example, type ServerName_OSECollab for an OSE collaboration database.

3. In the Data Device box, click the database device that you just created.
4. In the Size (MB) box, type the size of the database.

   The recommended minimum size is 100 MB.

5. In the Log Device box, click <new> to create a new database device for the log file.

   The New Database Device dialog box opens.

6. In the Name box , type a name for the log database device.

   For example, type ServerName_OSELog for an OSE log database device.

7. In the Size (MB) box, type the size of the device.

   The recommended minimum size is 25 MB.

8. Click Create Now to create the log device, and then click OK.
9. In the New Database dialog box, click Create Now to create the database.

After you have created the database, you set options to control how the database functions.

Create an ODBC data source

When the database is ready, your next step is to create an ODBC data source on your computer that can be used to connect to SQL Server.

To create an ODBC data source

1. In Control Panel, double-click the ODBC Data Sources icon.
2. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator, click Add.
3. In the Create New Data Source dialog box, select SQL Server from the list of drivers, and then click Finish.

   The Create a New Data Source to SQL Server Wizard starts.

4. In the Name box , type a name for the new data source.

   For example, type Servername_OSESource.

5. In the Server box , click (local), and then click Next.
6. On the next panel of the wizard, select the authentication policy appropriate for your organization, and then click Next.

   You can use either Windows NT® operating system authentication or SQL Server authentication.

7. In the Change the default database to box, click the name of the database that you created in SQL Server, and then click Next.
8. Click Finish, and then click OK to return to the ODBC Data Source Administrator.
9. Click OK to close the ODBC Data Source Administrator.

Install and configure OSE to use a SQL Server 6.5 database

When Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 is installed on your computer, and you install Office Server Extensions, OSE automatically detects SQL Server and uses it for the collaboration database.

When you start the OSE configuration process, you must enter the SQL Server database name and the system administrator name and password to use for the database. After you enter this information, you can continue configuring OSE.

Important   You must create a SQL Server 6.5 database before you can configure OSE to use the database.

To configure OSE to use a SQL Server database

1. Begin installing Office Server Extensions.

   You might receive the following error message:

   "You will have to provide the name of an existing database on a Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 or greater. Do you want to continue?"

2. Click Yes and continue installing OSE.
3. On the final installation panel, click Configure.
4. In the Server Extensions Configuration Wizard, go to the Web Collaboration Database panel and type the name of the SQL Server collaboration database you created.
5. In the Username box , type the system administrator username.

   The default system administrator username for SQL Server is SA.

6. In the Password box , type the system administrator password.
7. Verify that the correct SQL Server name is listed in the Which SQL Server is this database located on box, and then click Next.

   When you click Next, you might receive the following error message:

   "The Configuration Wizard was unable to connect to the Microsoft SQL Server 'ServerName' due to version incompatibilities. If you wish to continue, you will have to manually create the database on that server before continuing. Would you like to use this server? Selecting NO will allow you to modify your settings."

8. If you have already created the SQL Server 6.5 database to use for collaboration data, click Yes to continue configuring OSE.

Related links

SQL Server 6.5 is a powerful and complex database tool. For more information about creating and administering a SQL Server 6.5 database, see the product documentation that comes with SQL Server 6.5.