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Quadrant Systems
Receipt Accounting System
ODBC Setup Instructions

These instructions assume you have installed the RASWIN program on a workstation already using the RASWIN SETUP program and need to create the ODBC connection to the database. The setup program has no way to do this automatically as it has no way to know the name of your servers and other network information.

If you are just updating an existing installation the existing ODBC connection should already be present and would not normally need to be recreated.

REGISTER # Setting

NOTE: The ODBC must be set up before the REGSET_NEW.EXE program can verify the register number and update the database with the application register number.

Each workstation must have a unique REGISTER number. This is established by the presence of a small 'trigger' file on each workstation. The best way to create the file is to use the Register Number Setting Utility supplied by Quadrant Systems. This can be found in the following location:

c:\program files (x86)\quadrant\raswin\extra_utilities\regset_new.exe

The trigger file name must be

c:\program files (x86)\quadrant\raswin\REG.xxx

(where xxx is the 3-digit register number.) For register #2, the file would be called reg.002, and so on for each additional register. Note that the file extension (the part after the period) is the the 3 digit register number. The leading zeros in the file extension MUST be present ... reg.1 is not the same as reg.001.

When the RASWIN program starts it searches for the REG file ... starting with reg.001 and progressing to reg.999 in order. As soon as it finds the FRIST file that matches it will stop searching for additional REG.xxx files and assume that is the assigned register #.

Having multiple registers with the same register number can lead to many difficult or impossible to solve problems with conflicting receipt numbers, date assignments, settings, etc., so be sure to check your register # carefully and don't duplicate register numbers across machines.

RASWIN double checks the database at startup to make sure there are no other workstations using the same register number. If it finds another workstation has been configured to us the same register # it will terminate the program until the discrepancy is resolved. This checking is based on the unique Windows Workstation ID assigned to the computers connected to the database.

ODBC Settings

There is one ODBC 'system' setting required.
  1. This should point to the Quadrant RASWINSQL database on the SQL server.
  2. The ODBC setting must be setup using SQL Server authentication.
  3. The user id/password must exist in the SQL 'master' database before you can create the ODBC link to it. The standard RASWINSQL creation script will creates the needed user (REG001, which is used for ALL workstations, regardless of which register number is assigned to them).
  4. The steps for setting up the ODBC are listed below:
    1. Using the Windows Control Panel, start the ODBC Administrator tool.

      IMPORTANT! If you are on a 64 machine, you MUST use the 32 bit ODBC setup. This is located at c:\windows\syswow64\odbcad32.exe.
    2. Click on the SYSTEM tab.
    3. Click on the ADD button.
    4. Press "S" or scroll towards the bottom of the list to locate the "SQL Server" entry in the list of database options available on your system. Make sure SQL Server is highlighted.
    5. Click on the FINISH button. Microsoft has an odd way of naming these buttons. You are not finished yet.
    6. Enter the values shown below in the text boxes on the entry screen. The only one you will have to modify is the name of the server. This can be a server name (such as the one shown here) or an IP address (if that is how you refer to servers at your location.) Click on NEXT after you enter the 3 values.
    7. Click on the 2nd button ("With SQL Server Authentication") and then in the LOGIN ID and PASSWORD Boxes enter the values REG001 and [CONTACT QUADRANT SYSTEMS FOR PASSWORD]. Both the USER ID and password are the same for ALL registers, and ALL DSN user ID values are set to REG001 for the login regardless which register # is assigned.

      Once these values are entered, click on the NEXT button.
    8. If a connection is made there will be a very short pause (two or three seconds) and you will then see the screen below. If the connection is not established the delay will be quite a bit longer (30 to 60 seconds) and an error message will appear telling you it could not connect for a variety of reasons (couldn't find the specified server, user not valid for that database, etc.) If this happens, use the BACK button to check your entries on the previous screens.

      If you see RASWINSQL in the top box, you have connected successfully. Click on the NEXT button to continue.
    9. On this screen, just click on the FINISH button to continue. Again, Microsoft is a bit optimistic, but they are closer.
    10. Click on the Test Data Source button to verify all connection settings are correct.
    11. You will the the OK button confirming the test worked
    12. You will see the previous screen again, where you click OK to FINISH. The guys are billionaires, so who are we to question that they chose FINISH to go the NEXT screen and OK to mean FINISH, and START to shutdown your computer? The MUST just be a lot smarter than us to have figured this out!
    13. After pressing OK, you will see new ODBC link in your list of System DSNs. To prolong the "Windows" experience Microsoft makes you press OK one more time to FINISH the ODBC setup function. Then you can close the ODBC setup window completely.