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Updating to New Versions of Standard ERP

The latest version of Standard ERP is always available for downloading at www.standardinstall.com.

Inevitably, new versions will incorporate significant structural changes. Because of this, it cannot be guaranteed that they will be able to use database files ("HANSA.HDB" files) created by previous versions. You must export a text back-up file from the old database and import it to a new database created using the new version of the program.

Before updating, you should first check that the new version is compatible with your hardware and operating system(s). You should then set up a test environment where you will be able to run the existing version and the new version side-by-side. Create new databases using both versions, and import the same text back-up to both new databases. This will allow you to print the most important reports from both versions and compare them accurately, since both versions contain the same data. You should then ensure that every user logs in to the new version to check that their main processes are operating as expected, and to get used to any changes in workflow that may be required. Test every step including printing documents, creating Nominal Ledger Transactions from Sub Systems and reporting. When you are satisfied with the data integrity of the new version and that every user is familiar with it, you can update the live system.

To update to a new version of Standard ERP, follow these steps:

  1. Create a Database Text Backup from your live system as usual using the old application.

  2. Install the new version of the application in the test environment, create a new database and import the text back-up file as follows:

    1. Follow the procedure described on the Installation page to download the new version of Standard ERP and install it on the server and clients in your test environment.

    2. Ensure that the folder or directory containing the new application on the test server also contains the "DBDEF.TXT" and "DEFAULT.TXT" files, but not a "HANSA.HDB" file. Ensure it also contains a folder or directory named "Backup" which in turn contains the text back-up file created in step 1, and that the name of this file has a .txt extension.

    3. Copy the following folders and their contents from the HansaWorld folder on your live server to the folder containing the new application on the test server: "Attach"; "Halcust"; "Shared"; "tmp"; "web" and "webcust". You may not have all of these folders in your installation: if so, copy the ones that you do have and don't worry about those that are missing. Copy logo files as well. Do NOT copy the "Hob" folder.

      In particular, you must make sure you copy the "Attach" folder to the new Standard ERP folder before you proceed to step 2iv. The way in which attached files are named was changed in version 5.3 070723. If you are updating to this version or newer from an older version, the files in the "Attach" folder will be renamed by the updating process to comply with the new naming convention. If you do not copy the "Attach" folder to the new Standard ERP folder until after updating, the files in that folder will not be renamed and therefore the Attachment links will be broken (you will not be able to open attached files from the Document Manager with the paper clip icon). In this case, repeat the update ensuring the "Attach" folder is in place first. Please click here for more details about Attachments and the Document Manager.

      If you have a "Halcust" folder, it will contain bespoke code that changes the way Standard ERP operates. You should not assume that this bespoke code will be compatible with new versions of the program. Therefore, before updating you must consult with HansaWorld Support to ensure compatibility and to have the code re-written if necessary. You can find the telephone number of your local office at www.hansaworld.com/en/world-wide-contacts/. Having done this, ensure the "Halcust" folder is in the new HansaWorld folder before you proceed to step 2iv. Bespoke code can change the structure of the database. If you do not copy the "Halcust" folder to the new HansaWorld folder until after updating, the new "HANSA.HDB" file will given a standard database structure and may crash when you try to use it with the "Halcust" folder present.

    4. Referring to the Restoring from a Back-up page, launch the new Standard ERP application to create a new database as follows:

      • If you choose to create the new database using the GUI application, when the 'Welcome to Standard ERP' window appears, click the [Import Textbackup] button to import the back-up created by the previous version of Standard ERP.

      • If you choose to create the new database using the command line application (Linux or Mac OS X), launch the application by typing:
        ./StandardERPServer Backup/TBXXXXXX.TXT (Linux 32-bit)
        ./StandardERPServer64 Backup/TBXXXXXX.TXT (Linux 64-bit)
        ./StandardERPServer Backup/TBXXXXXX.TXT (Mac OS X)
        where TBXXXXXX.TXT is the back-up file, located in the "Backup" folder inside the folder containing the Standard ERP server application. The application will close automatically when the import finishes. Restart it in the normal way.

      • If you choose to create the new database using the service application (Windows), place the path and name of the back-up file (Backup/TBXXXXXX.TXT in this example) in a "parameters.txt" file before launching the application, as described in the ' Launching the Server with Parameters ' section on the Loading an Existing Database and Company page. The application will quit when the import finishes (you may need to monitor the log file (named "hansa.log") or the service 'Properties' window to see when the application quits). Remove the path and name of the back-up file from the "parameters.txt" file. If necessary, restart the application in the usual way.

      If your machine has sufficient RAM, the back-up file will be imported significantly more quickly if you increase the cache size. Please refer to step 10 on the Restoring from a Back-up page for details.

    5. If you have not done so already install the new Standard ERP application on the client machines that will be part of the test system. If you have any Client Text Backup files, import them to the new databases on the relevant machines as per step 2iv above. Then, open the Company register on each client and enter the IP address of the test server. If you did not import a Client Text Backup file, use the [Connect to Server] button in the 'Welcome to Standard ERP' window to locate and connect to the test server.

    6. If the new version includes one or more of the revisions listed at the end of this page, update your data as required. You may find it advantageous to increase the cache size while updating your data.

  3. Install your existing version of the application in the test environment, create a new database and import the text back-up file as follows:

    1. Create a new folder or directory on the test server (or on a separate test server) and copy into it from the HansaWorld folder on your live server the old version of the application and the "Attach", "Halcust", "tmp", "web" and "webcust" folders. This time copy the "Hob" folder as well.

    2. Ensure that the folder or directory containing the old application on the test server also contains "DBDEF.TXT" and "DEFAULT.TXT" files, but not a "HANSA.HDB" file. Ensure it also contains a folder or directory named "Backup" which in turn contains the back-up file created in step 1, and that the name of this file has a .txt extension.

    3. Import this back-up as described in step 2iv above, but note that you will not be able to use the "parameters.txt" method if your old version is older than 5.4.

    4. Running two databases on the same server machine is usually not recommended or supported for reasons of speed, but this is less important in a test environment. If you do have both the old and new applications on the same server machine, you should change the Port Number in one of the databases, to enable the clients to log in to the correct one. Please refer to the Program Mode Register page for details.

    5. If you have not done so already, install the old Standard ERP application on the client machines that will be part of the test system. If you have any Client Text Backup files, import them to the new databases on the relevant machines as per step 2iv above. Then, open the Company register on each client and enter the IP address of the test server (and the Port Number if you changed it on the server in step 3iv above). If you did not import a Client Text Backup file, use the [Connect to Server] button in the 'Welcome to Standard ERP' window to locate and connect to the test server (note that the 'Welcome to Standard ERP' window was introduced in version 5.2).

  4. Print the reports you usually use from both the old and new versions and compare them. At a minimum, you should print and compare the Trial Balance, Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet from the Nominal Ledger, the Sales Ledger report (with and without a recent date) and the Open Invoice and Periodic Customer Statements from the Sales Ledger, the Purchase Ledger report (with and without a recent date) and the Open Invoice and Periodic Supplier Statements from the Purchase Ledger, and the Stock List (with and without a recent date) and Item History from the Stock module. If you are using the Job Costing module, print the Project Status report as well. You only need print the longer reports to show the most commonly used Customers, Suppliers and Items. If a report contains a new option in the new version, turn it off so that you can compare like with like.

    You may also want to print and compare the Record Count report in the Technics module. This report lists the number of records in each register. However, be careful when interpreting this report: it includes support registers (hidden registers whose contents are not included in text back-up files but recalculated on import). The structure of support registers may change from version to version, so the number of records they contain may vary. Support registers are shown with zeroes in the Imp/Exp Level column in the report.

    For the comparison to be accurate, you should not have worked in either system after importing the text back-up. This will ensure the data in the old and new databases is identical.

  5. When you are satisfied with the reports, you should now ensure that every user logs in to the new version to check that their main processes are operating as expected, and to get used to any changes in workflow that may be required. Test every step including printing documents, creating Nominal Ledger Transactions from Sub Systems and reporting. This is especially imperative if you have a "Halcust" folder, in which case you should test the bespoke code as much as possible.

  6. When you are sure that the new version is operating as expected, create a new Database Text Backup from your live system and repeat step 2 above to update your live system.

    If you are using the service application on a Windows server, installing a new version will automatically update the service registry, removing the old version from the list and replacing it with the new version.

    If you have many client machines, you may want to use the auto update feature described here. This feature will cause the version on the client machines to be updated automatically the next time they connect to the server.

  7. In the new live system, open the Timed Operations setting in the Technics module. Check that all times are correct and are expressed using the 24-hour clock. If you are using the automatic timed back-up feature, make sure the Backup Path is correct.

  8. If you are using the journaling feature, you will need to start journaling after updating to a new version. Ensure the folder containing the application does not also contain a "journal" folder and start journaling as described on the Journaling page.

  9. If you need to remove the old version of the application and you are using Windows, be sure to do so using the Programs and Features Control Panel.
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