Data Warehouse Prerequisites

The Data Warehouse allows you to combine data from multiple, individual job databases into a single database for reporting purposes. You select which jobs to include and whether you want to update the Data Warehouse automatically when any of the selected jobs are saved, or manually at your discretion. With the data consolidated into the Data Warehouse, you can then use Crystal Reports, Microsoft Access, or any other SQL-compatible reporting tool to create user-defined reports that span across jobs.

The Data Warehouse requires three additional components to an existing Estimate network environment:

  • Database – On the database server, an additional database named HDWarehouse is created. This database can become very large, and is a heavy consumer of system memory and disk I/O. For optimal performance, the HDWarehouse database should reside on a SQL Server computer separate from the SQL Server computer where Estimate jobs and the HDExecute database are stored.

  • Job Consolidation Server – On an application server, run the Job Consolidation Server installer to set up the Job Consolidation Server.

  • Job Consolidation – Runs as a service, connects as a client to the InEight Estimate Server, just as Estimate users do when they run the main application. You can use the Data Warehouse feature within the Estimate client application to select which jobs should be consolidated into the Data Warehouse.

For optimal performance, the Job Consolidation Server should be installed on a dedicated server. It can also be installed on the same application server where other Estimate services run. For example, the License Server, the Timesheet Integration Server, or the InEight Estimate Server.

Preparing for Installation of the Data Warehouse

The Data Warehouse database should be installed after the main Estimate client/server application has been installed. The installation and setup instructions that follow needs a functioning environment that includes:

  • An installation of the Estimate Server running the InEight Estimate Server service.

  • An Estimate Database Server running full SQL Server 2005 – SQL Server 2017.

  • An installation of the License Server running InEight Estimate License Server service.

A full SQL Server instance on a dedicated database server is required for the Data Warehouse.

Backup Considerations

The Estimate client/server application has user initiated System Backup and Restore features. These features are not appropriate for Estimate Enterprise implementations, where job and library databases reside on a separate SQL Server, and additional databases exist for modules such as Mobile Timesheets and the Data Warehouse. After you install the Data Warehouse, you will need to rely on external Backup/Restore software to back up Estimate database files.