1.1. Can I use MS SQL Server?

Each of our software products use a Firebird SQL database. Our software cannot connect to a Microsoft SQL Server database; however, the Firebird SQL database can be installed on a server running Microsoft SQL Server without any conflicts. To install the Firebird SQL database on your server, please see the appropriate user guide below:

Asset Manager Database Installation

Training Manager Database Installation

Vehicle Manager Database Installation

 

1.2. How can I connect to the database for custom reports or automation?

Our software uses a Firebird RDBMS (version 2.1.7). Firebird is standards compliant, and you can create a direct database connection using ODBC (Open Database Connectivity). An ODBC connection can be used to connect a 3rd party database or reporting utility to the database.

For the technical details needed to create the connection, please see the following link:

ODBC Documentation

 

1.3. How can I set a default database connection?

There are two options which you can use to set up a default connection to your server.

Option 1: Update the config file template which contains the values used for new users. See this link for more details.

Option 2: Set up a shortcut in the "All Users" folder, and modify the properties of the shortcut to specify the server name in the command line arguments. For example, in the Shortcut Properties - Target field, enter:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Training Manager 2016 Enterprise\TrainingManager.exe" /server NameOrIPAddress

where "NameOrIPAddress" is the name of ip address of your database server, and the path is the path to the TrainingManager.exe file.

 

1.4. How can I perform a Silent installation?

The following command will install the software without any interaction or visible windows:

C:\TrainingManagerEnterpriseSetup.exe /SP- /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NOCANCEL

The command above is for the case with the setup file located at the root of the C drive (C:\). Modify the first part of the command to reflect the location of the setup file for your case.

See additional setup file command line parameters at the following link:

Command Line Parameters

 

1.5. How can I move my database to a new server?

You can move a database from one server to another using a backup/restore cycle. See the step-by-step instructions at the appropriate link below:

• Move database to new server (Asset Manager)
• Move database to new server (Training Manager)
• Move database to new server (Vehicle Manager)

 

1.6. What version of the Firebird database is used?

The current version of our software products use Firebird Version 2.1.7.

If you are using an older version of Firebird, please see this information regarding the update:

Firebird Update

 

1.7. How can I set the Firebird SYSDBA password?

How to change the Firebird SYSDBA password:

-Note: the file paths listed below may differ for your installation. Confirm the location of the Firebird installation on your server before beginning.

1. Close the software if it is open (ensure no one is connected to the database)
2. Log into server which is running the Firebird database
3. Backup the C:\Program Files\Firebird\security2.fdb file (it contains the original login information)
4. Open command prompt
5. Type CD \
6. [Press Enter]
7. Type CD "Program Files"
8. Press Enter
9. Type CD Firebird
10. [Press Enter]
11. Type CD bin
12. [Press Enter]
13. Type gsec -user SYSDBA -password masterkey -modify sysdba -pw newpassword
    (Where "newpassword" is the new password you want to set)
    (Note: only the first 8 characters of the password are used)
14. [Press Enter]

Then set the password to connect from the client:

1. Open the software - it may take longer to open as it attempts to connect.
2. A message will appear indicating that it cannot connect - click Ok.
3. Select the Advanced tab on the database connection form and type the new password in the password box.
4. Test the connection and save the changes.
5. Repeat the steps 1-4 to set the new password on each client which connects to the remote database.

1.8. How To Automate The Deployment

See below for information to help with automated deployment using AutoID, a login script, or your existing software deployment system:

Silent Installation:

The following command will install the software without any interaction or visible windows:

C:\TrainingManagerEnterpriseSetup.exe /SP- /VERYSILENT /SUPPRESSMSGBOXES /NOCANCEL

The command above is for the case with the setup file located at the root of the C drive (C:\). Modify the first part of the command to reflect the location of the setup file for your case.

See additional setup file command line parameters at the following link:

Command Line Parameters 

License Key:

To automate the license key configuration, you will need to copy the EntLicense.lic file from a licensed machine, and use it as the source to copy to new installations. It is located in the Windows-defined all users application data directory. See the file locations here:

File Locations

Database Connection:

Option 1:

If the installation location will be the same on all machines, you can create a shortcut with the server path hard coded in the properties (as you may have seen in the user guide - Command Line Parameters), and then copy that shortcut to each user's desktop. However, the default installation path will vary depending on whether the machine is 32 or 64 bit.

Option 2:

Updating the config files can also be done. The way it works is that there is a config file in the installation directory which contains default values for the user config file. On the first time the application is run, it will create a user.config file in the users profile folder using the values from the .config file in the installation directory. Subsequent changes to the users configuration will be saved in the user.config file. Note that the user.config file is located in a sub-directory of the user's profile folder, and the sub-directory includes a GUID which is unique for that machine. See the "File Locations" link above.

To deal with the uniqueness, you can change the default config file in the installation directory. Note that this change must be made before the application is opened the first time, because the user.config file will be created on the first run only.

You can find information about each of these options at the following link:

Citrix options for hardcoding server path

 

1.9. Where is the database file located?

Below is a listing of default file locations for Config, Database, and Log files for our software products. This information may be useful for special configurations or when diagnosing a connection error. In most cases you will not need to modify these files. If you decide to modify any of the files listed below, create a backup copy of the original file before changing it.

 

Database Files

---

 

Config Files

---

 

 Log Files

---

 

 *System Defined Folders

---

Local Users Application Data Folder:

The location of this folder varies according to the operating system:

You may also find this folder by typing %USERPROFILE% in the "Run" box (Windows XP), or the "Search" box (Windows Vista, 7, and 8) and then drilling down into the appropriate folder.

 

All Users Application Data Folder:

The location of this folder varies according to the operating system:

You may also find this folder by typing %AllUsersProfile% in the "Run" box (Windows XP), or the "Search" box (Windows Vista, 7, and 8) and then drilling down into the appropriate folder.

 

These folder locations are hidden by default, so you may need to show all files and folders in order to find them (My Computer --> Tools --> Folder Options --> View tab --> Show all files and folders).

 

1.10. How can I split a large database into multiple copies?

The instructions below are for "Training Manager". Similar procedures apply for Asset Manager and Vehicle Manager. Just replace "Training" with "Asset" or "Vehicle" as needed.

PREPARE

Create a backup of your current database and test it before getting started as described below: 

1. First, use the menu option: File --> Backup, to create a backup file.
2. Copy this backup file to a test computer which has Training Manager installed and which is NOT connected to your server database (you can use a trial copy of Training Manager from our website).
3. While logged in to a LOCAL database on a test computer, restore the backup file using the menu option: File --> Restore. Re-open Training Manager and confirm that it works correctly. This will ensure that you have a good backup file and another copy of the database in working order for safety.

SPLIT THE DATABASE

After ensuring that you have a good database backup as described above, you can follow these instructions to create 2 copies of your current database running on your server:

How to run multiple databases on one server

Make sure that you have enough space on your server before beginning the process.

SEPARATE THE RECORDS

After you have 2 duplicate copies of the database running on your server, confirm that you can log into 1 database, make a change, and then log into the other database to confirm that the change is not present.

1. Then you can log into 1 database and delete the records which you do not want in it.
2. Next, log into the other database and delete the records which you do not want in it.

OPTIMIZE

After separating the records, it's a good idea to perform a backup/restore process on each database to optimize the record storage within the file. Databases do not reclaim all of the unused space when records are deleted, so performing a backup/restore will reorganize the space in the file to reclaim unused space, reduce the file size, and improve the peformance.

Be careful to backup and restore to the same database - name the backup file clearly and ensure that you restore it over the matching database so that you don't overwrite the wrong database upon restore.

 

2.1. How can I backup the database automatically?

The Enterprise Edition database can be backed up automatically using a backup script which you can schedule to run during off-hours on your server. For details, please see the following links in the user guide:

Asset Manager: Backup Schedule

Training Manager: Backup Schedule

Vehicle Manager: Backup Schedule

 

2.2. My computer / hard drive crashed!

Disaster Recovery information

The system is comprised of two main components:

1. The software files
2. The database file

To replace the software files, you can install the current version from our website at the following link:

Download Asset Manager
Download Training Manager
Download Vehicle Manager

Regarding the database file:

If you have a backup file created before the crash using the menu item File --> Backup, you can restore it using the menu item File --> Restore. This will restore the database containing all of the entries as they were at the time when the backup file was created.

If you do not have a backup file, you may be able to locate the raw database file instead if you can access the old hard drive. The name of the file you want to look for is:
"AssetManager.adb" OR "TrainingManager.tdb" OR "VehicleData.vdb", depending on your program.

This is the raw database file containing all of your entries. The default location of the database file varies according to the operating system. You can find it as described below:

• On Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\[Program Name\[Database File Name]
• On Windows Vista, 7, 8: C:\ProgramData\[Program Name\[Database File Name]

Once you find the old database file, copy it to your new computer and replace the existing sample database file. You can find the location of the sample database file on your new computer as follows:

1. Open the software and select the menu option Help --> About...
2. Click on the blue link to Open Local Data Folder.

After replacing the raw database file, open the software to see the data.

This software may be able to help if you need to recover a deleted file:
Data Recovery Software

 

2.3. My database server crashed.

**Option 1:**

If you have backups of the server, you can restore the raw database file, "AssetManager.adb", "TrainingManager.tdb", or "VehicleData.vdb" from the server backup.

If your server is not backed up regularly, you might still be able to recover it from the Windows "Previous Versions" feature which is built-in to recent versions of Windows. To see if you have it, right-click on the database file and select the menu option "Properties". If you see a tab for "Previous Versions", check to see if a previous version of the file is available.

**Option 2:**

Or, if you have a compressed backup file (file extension .abk, .tbk, or .vbk), you can restore it using the Firebird gbak utility. Or, send it to us, and we will restore it to a raw database file and send it back to you.

If scheduled backups were set up using the default settings in the user guide, the compressed backup files will be located on the server at C:\Backup. Or, if you have a recent backup file saved on your computer, it will be found in the "My Documents" folder by default and have file extension, .abk, .tbk, or .vbk.

You may also be able to recover the raw database file or a backup if your hard drive has been formatted:
Data Recovery Software

 

2.4. Missing data after Windows "Upgrade"

If you created a backup file using the menu item File --> Backup prior to the Operating System change, you can restore the backup file using the menu item File --> Restore. This will restore the database containing all of the entries.

If you did not backup the data before the change, you may still be able to find it if the Windows upgrade installer created a backup for you. Windows will sometimes create a folder named, C:\Windows.old containing the data from before the upgrade. The name of the file you want to look for is "AssetManager.adb", "TrainingManager.tdb", or "VehicleData.vdb". This is the raw database file containing all of your entries. By default, this file is located in the All Users Application Data directory described below:

All Users Application Data Folder:
The location of this folder varies according to the operating system:

• Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\[Program Name]\[database file]
• Windows Vista, 7, or 8: C:\Program Data\[Program Name]\[database file]

You may also find this folder by typing %AllUsersProfile% in the "Run" box (Windows XP), or the "Search" box (Windows Vista) and then drilling down into the appropriate folder.

You can search your computer to see if you can find another file with the same name, and then copy it to the default location described above.

Some hints:
Go to the Start menu and then type the word "hidden" (without the quotes) - don't press the enter key. You should see an option at the top to "Show hidden files and folders". Click on it and select the option to show hidden files.

Search your computer for the database file. If you find two of them, try opening the older one to see if it contains your data. If it does, copy it to the default location described above, and then re-open the software.

3.1. Why can't I connect to a remote database?

If you are unable to connect to a remote database, please follow the troubleshooting steps in the appropriate link below:

• Troubleshoot Database Connection (Asset Manager)
• Troubleshoot Database Connection (Training Manager)
• Troubleshoot Database Connection (Vehicle Manager)

 

3.2. The program will not open.

In rare cases, the program may not open when you click the icon. See potential causes and solutions below:

 

Cause: The software was installed on a network share instead of the local computer.

Solution: Install the software on your C drive.


Cause: The initial database creation was interrupted leaving a corrupt database.

Solution: Delete the database file and then re-open the software to re-create the database. The database file can be found as described below:

• On Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\[Program Name]\[Database File Name]
• On Windows Vista, 7, or 8: C:\Program Data\[Program Name]\[Database File Name]

Notes:

Either of these locations may be hidden so that you may need to show all files and folders (My Computer --> Tools --> Folder Options --> View tab --> Show all files and folders).
You may also find these locations by typing %AllUsersProfile% in the "Run" box (Windows XP), or the "Search" box (Windows Vista).

Cause: The user configuration file is corrupt:

Solution: Delete the user config file and then re-open the software to re-create the user.config file. The config file can be found as described below:
The location of this folder varies according to the operating system:
Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\[user account name]\Local Settings\Application Data\Kaizen_Software_Solutions\[Unique Program ID]\user.config
Windows Vista/Windows 7: C:\Users\[user account name]\AppData\Local\Kaizen_Software_Solutions\[Unique Program ID]\user.config
You may also find this folder by typing %USERPROFILE% in the "Run" box (Windows XP), or the "Search" box (Windows Vista/Windows 7) and then drilling down into the appropriate folder.

Cause: The .NET Framework is corrupt on the computer.

Solution: Reinstall the .NET Framework using Windows update or from the Microsoft link below:
The .NET Framework can be downloaded here: Download .NET 2

 

Cause: The machine.config file is corrupt on the computer.

Solution: Attach a copy of the file in a reply to this message so we can analyze and fix it.
C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\Config\machine.config

4.1. How can I update to the current version?

Here are the steps for updating to the current version of the software. If this is in use by multiple users, be sure to coordinate the update with all users to avoid errors which will occur if different versions of the software are in use at the same time.

Notes - step 1, 3, and 5 are for the multi-user edition only.

If your license is over 2 years old and you do not have a current support subscription, a 50% update charge may apply.

1. Make sure no one else is using the database (all other users should have the software completely closed).
2. Make a backup of the database for safety (File --> Backup).
3. Make a note of the database connection settings (Tools --> Database Connection) in case you need to reconnect.
4. Use the menu option Help --> Check for updates, and follow the prompts, or if you are unable to connect to our update server, close the software, and then install the current version of the software from our website.
5. Make sure all other users update their software to the same version to avoid any mismatched version conflicts.

For more information, see the following link:
Training Manager Client Software Updates 
Asset Manager Client Software Updates
Vehicle Manager Client Software Updates

 

4.2. What are the system requirements?

Please see the System Requirements listed in the user guide at the following links:

Asset Manager: System Requirements

Training Manager: System Requirements

Vehicle Manager: System Requirements

 

4.3. How can I import data from MS Access?

To import data from MS Access, first EXPORT the data from MS Access in .CSV or .TXT format.

Then you can IMPORT the data using the menu option: Tools --> Import.

Please see the additional information about importing data in the user guide at the following link:

User Guide - Importing Data (Asset Manager)

User Guide - Importing Data (Training Manager)

User Guide - Importing Data (VehicleManager)

 

4.4. How can I move my single user edition to a new computer?

On the Original computer:

1. Go to the menu option Help --> Enter License Key, or Help --> About, and write down your license key number to use later.
2. Go to the menu option File --> Backup, and create a backup file.
3. Copy the backup file created in step 2 from the old computer to the new computer.

On the New computer:

4. Download and install the same edition of the software from our website, and then go to the menu item Help --> Enter License Key, and enter the license key number from Step 1.
5. Select the menu option File --> Restore, and then select the backup file that you copied over from the old computer.
6. Close and then reopen the software.

 

4.5. Why can't I connect to the database?

If you are experiencing problems connecting to the database, please follow the database connection troubleshooting procedure to determine the cause and resolve the problem. Here is a link to the instructions:

Asset Manager: Database Connection Troubleshooting

Training Manager: Database Connection Troubleshooting

Vehicle Manager: Database Connection Troubleshooting

 

4.6. How are enhancement requests handled?

We receive thousands of great suggestions / enhancement requests throughout the year. When an enhancement request is received, it goes through an initial vetting process to determine whether it's a good fit for the product and future plans. If there is little or an extremely unlikely fit, it will be rejected even if it is a minor change, since thousands of poor fit changes develop into a very disjointed product. If there is a potential fit, it will be accepted into our enhancement request database for consideration for a future release.

Items in the enhancement request database are considered as new updates are released throughout the year. Some items may be included when activity in a particular part of the design is in progress, while others may be delayed during that time depending on the expected impact to the product. As development is completed for various requests, they are released in the current version of the software - you can see the list of previous releases on our blog at the following link:

• Asset Manager Updates
• Training Manager Updates
• Vehicle Manager Updates

In some of our products we have had updates which were released within days or weeks of the request if the timing happened to coincide with a similar change, and we have had some updates which were released years later as the product developed.

 

4.7. How can I upgrade from the Standard Edition to the Enterprise Edition?

You can upgrade from one edition to another for the difference in price between the two editions. A link to the discount information is included in the original license key notification, or you can contact us at any time with your current license key number and we can send you the discount link.

The instructions for upgrading your database from single user to multi-user are available in the user guide at the following link:

Upgrade to multi-user (Asset Manager) 
Upgrade to multi-user (Training Manager) 
Upgrade to multi-user (Vehicle Manager)

 

4.8. Do you have phone support available?

We don't have phone sales/support available, but we're happy to answer any questions you may have through our support ticket system.

All of our sales, service, and support is handled through our website and email. We understand that some customers prefer phone calls; however, this support model allows our customers around the globe to reach the appropriate expert directly for their specific technical, sales, or customer service question without wading through multiple levels of support and call backs. This email support model balances out the workload often resulting in faster resolutions, and allows us to pass the savings on to our customers.

4.9. Why haven't I received a reply to my question?

Most tickets are assigned and replied to within 24 hours. If you have not received a reply in your email Inbox within 24 hours, please check your Junk or Spam folder. Sometimes a requester will type in the wrong email address on the support form, or their email Inbox may be full. We always try our best to reach the original requester in those cases, but we cannot guarantee that we can reach you without a valid email address.