Preactor International - Knowledge Base

Preactor takes a long time to launch

Tom Briggs — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:29:33 GMT

Symptom

Preactor and the Command File Editor take a long time to start on a machine that is configured not to allow connections to the internet.

Cause

This problem occurs because Preactorhas a certificate signature. When no certificate authority is available via the internet, the signature will take longer to verify.

Solution

Add the following as the last child element of the configuration element in the Preactor.exe.config file to disable revocation list checking for the application:

<runtime>

<generatePublisherEvidence enabled="false"/>

</runtime>

The Preactor.exe.config can be found in the Preactor installation directory.

If using Preactor 11.1 (or later) and the problem is not resolved by editing the Preactor.exe.config file, or by the certification link, check that the 'Flexlm License Manager' setting in the registry (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software) does not contain extraneous server locations

Installation issue on Windows 2008 and Vista x64

Dawn Platt — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:49:36 GMT

Symptom

When installing Preactor 11 on 64-bit Windows 2008 or Vista, the wizard stops at the following step:

With the following error message, 'Error 1402.Could not open key':

Cause

The problem occurs because the installer has an issue writing a value to the registry on 64-bit operating systems.

Solution

Extract the contents of the installer package, creating all the files needed for installation. Use these files to install Preactor without the SDK component, then add the SDK component. To do this, follow these steps:

Create a temporary directory on the PC. Copy the Preactor installation package into this folder. Open a command window inside this folder. In the command window, start the installation wizard by typing in the name of the package with the command line arguments /v and /a, for example:

Preactor11.1.0.19996.exe /v /a

In the wizard, click Next and in the Network Location text box, change the location to the folder created earlier. Allow the installation wizard to finish. This will create a number of sub-folders and the file Preactor.msi in the folder created earlier.

Use the file Preactor.msi to install Preactor, and at the Setup Type window, choose Custom. In the Custom Setup window, select 'This feature will not be available.' for the Software Development Kit feature.

Complete the installation procedure, then restart the installation wizard from the same file, Preactor.msi, and at the Program Maintenance wizard select Modify. Then, at the Custom Setup window, select 'This feature will be installed on the local hard drive.' for the Software Development Kit feature.

Complete the installation procedure in the wizard and Preactor will be fully installed.

Unhandled exception has occurred in a component in your application.

Dawn Platt — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:16:25 GMT

Symptom

'Unhandled exception has occurred in a component in your application' error message is displayed on entry to the sequencer as shown:

Cause

This error occurs because the field name present in the ORDER MATCH(Field Name) classification typically defined in the 'MaterialControl_prtdf.inc' file is not defined in the 'Orders' table in the 'Preactor.prtdf' file.

Resolution

There are two options available for resolving this error.

Option 1

Look at the 'Order No.' field in the 'Bill of Materials' and 'Co-products' tables of the 'MaterialControl_prtdf.inc' file and see what field is specified on the ORDER MATCH classification and add that field to the 'Orders' table definition in the 'Preactor.prtdf' file. For example:

BoM Match Order No.,-1,STRING,
INHERIT FROM PARENT
FREE FORMAT
HIDDEN:

If you choose this option, you need to make sure that any import script that imports order data, imports 'Order No.' data into the 'BoM Match Order No.' field otherwise SMC will not peg.

Option 2

Change the field name specified in the ORDER MATCH classification in the 'Bill of Materials' and 'Co-Products' database of the 'MaterialControl_prtdf.inc' file, for example:

ORDER MATCH(Order No.)

(assuming that a field called 'Order No.' exists in the Preactor.prtdf' file).

Installing Preactor 10.1 or Higher With a Hardware Key

Dawn Platt — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:50:51 GMT

If Preactor is being installed using a hardware key (either parallel or USB) then nothing needs to be done unless the key is an Aladdin HASP Network key.

Local (Single License) HASP License

During the installation of Preactor the required Aladdin HASP drivers are automatically installed. To use Preactor, the hardware key should be plugged into the computer on which Preactor is installed and as long as the .prcdf settings are correct the software will work. (Right click on the .prcdf file that you use to launch Preactor and select 'Modify With Preactor 10' from the pop up menu, when the 'Command File Editor' loads choose the 'Licenses' tab and set the 'License' to be 'Local' and set the correct Preactor Functionality).

Network HASP License

During the installation of Preactor the same Aladdin HASP drivers are installed as they are for a local install. The difference with this type of installation is that the Aladdin License Manager needs to be installed. The download is available from the Aladdin web site: http://www.aladdin.com/. See the links below.

When the download is complete, extract the contents of the .zip file, run the 'lmsetup.exe'. The Aladdin HASP License Manager software should be installed on the computer where the network license will reside and needs to be running for the licenses to be used. Follow the on screen instructions of the 'HASP License Manager' setup program to complete the installation.

Ensure that the hardware license is plugged into the computer that has 'HASP License Manager' installed. To use a Preactor license, make sure that 'HASP License Manager' is running. You will need to modify the .prcdf file that you use to launch Preactor. To do this right click on the .prcdf file and select the 'Modify With Preactor 10' option, and make sure that the 'Network Hard Key' option is selected in the 'License' section. The correct level of 'Preactor Functionality' should also be set depending on the Preactor system you have purchased.

If you need to run Preactor on a machine that has the network license attached locally, you may need to set up a 'NetHASP.ini' file, please view this article.
If you have multiple network licences installed on the same network, and you want to connect to a specific hardware license, please view this article for more information.

Applying key updates to versions of Preactor earlier than 11.0

Jon Cooney — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:44:45 GMT

This only applies to versions of Preactor earlier than 11.0.

Save the .prkey update file to the computer
Download the Preactor Key Update tool: http://download.preactor.com/support/Pr_Key.zip
Extract the contents of Pr_Key.zip to the Preactor installation folder.

Apply the hardware key update in the normal manner.

The update must be applied with the hardware key plugged into the local machine. It is not possible to apply the key remotely.

Extract A Preactor Package To A Remote Machine (v10.0 SP1 onwards)

Jon Cooney — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:27:21 GMT

Firstly, ensure that a folder has been shared that allows 'Full Control' permissions for both the user who is extracting the package (when elevated this may be different to the user who is currently logged on) and the user that the SQL Server service is running under (this can be found through the SQL Server Configuration Manager). The user performing the installation of the package will need the 'dbcreator' role on the SQL Server instance.

In Package Manager enter the server name (remote machine), instance name and the UNC path of the shared folder on the 'Database Options' dialog. It is recommended that the working folder share is a different location to where the configuration files are stored. The working folder share serves as a temporary location where the SQL database can be backed up or restored from. Any files created in this directory after a package has been created or unpackaged will be deleted providing that the user running the package has sufficient permissions.

Note: This image shows v10.0 SP1 Package Manager

If you wish to upload reports to a remote machine substitute 'localhost' for the machine name in the URL field of the 'Report Server Options' dialog.

Press finish and the configuration files, database and reports will be installed to their relevant locations.

Firewall and Network License Manager configuration

Craig Goulding — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:11:11 GMT

For Preactor to access a network license, any firewall protecting the server that hosts the license must be configured to allow traffic.

For example, to configure Microsoft Windows Firewall on Server 2008 R2.
Open the Windows Firewall control in Control Panel. Click 'Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall'.

Click the 'Allow another program...' button and browse to C:\Program Files(x86)\Preactor International\Network License Manager\Preactor\Preactor.exe.

Add the 'Preactor license daemon' to the list of 'Allowed programs and features'

Preactor is configured to use automatic port allocation by default. We recommend using a specific port. Configure the Preactor Network License Manager to use a specific port as detailed in the online help:

http://www.preactor.com/Preactor/OnlineHelp/UserHelp/User_Help_ENG.htm#StartTopic=Content/LicenseNetworkLicenseIntroduction.htm

Also, configure the command definition file to define a specific port in the license tab.

Connecting To A Server

Dawn Platt — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:12:50 GMT

Symptom

When attempting to connect to a server an error may appear similar to:

When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections.

Causes

Remote Connections Have Not Been Allowed

Remote connections are a security vulnerability. However, it is understood that in some circumstances they are required. In order to amend the settings read the following article:

Enable Remote Connections On A Server

Server / Instance Name Incorrect

The server should be checked to ensure that the server name and instance name are correct. For instance, full versions of SQL Server typically install without an instance name. Whilst express versions typically install with an instance name. Either product allows either install option.

For assistance in this regard, follow the following link:

Extract A Package To An SQL Server With No Instance Name

Creating a support package outside Preactor

Dawn Platt — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 18:58:44 GMT

Issue

In most instances a configuration is required for support. However, there may be occasions when it is not possible to generate a support email from Preactor's Help menu.

Resolution

The package manager is a separate application from the main Preactor application and can be used independently. In Preactor 11 onwards, it is located in Preactor's installation directory alongside the main Preactor files, e.g. C:\Program Files\Preactor International\Preactor11.1\PackageManager.exe. In Preactor 10 and earlier, it is located in its own installation directory, C:\Program Files\Preactor International\Package Manager\PackageManager.exe.

When this application is run without any command line options the following message appears:

Open a Windows command prompt^† and navigate to the configuration directory. Run PackageManager.exe from the command prompt using these command line arguments:

/create defines the file that will be created
/dbconnect defines the connection string (copy this from the Preactor Command File, *.prcdf, if unsure).
/configpath defines the configuration directory.

Syntax Example:

"<Preactor Program Directory>PackageManager.exe" "/create:<Package File Name>" "/dbconnect:<Connection String>" "/configpath:<Configuration Directory>"^‡

Example:

"C:\Program Files\Preactor International\Preactor11\PackageManager.exe" "/create:Configuration.prpkg" "/dbconnect:Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=My Configuration;Integrated Security=True;" "/configpath:C:\Users\Public\Documents\Preactor Configurations\My Configuration"

This will launch the Package Manager wizard.

Notes

^† If the command prompt is not elevated as Administrator the package will still get created but the creation of the package GUID file will fail.
^‡ The /configpath argument is not necessary when the manager is used inside the configuration directory.

Runtime Error : Subscript out of range

Dawn Platt — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 22:25:14 GMT

Symptom

When running an import script the following error appears:

Runtime Error in
9 : Subscript out of range
Function Name: RunImport

Cause

A known bug with Additional Option "LockIfTrue" feature.

Resolution

Upgrade to 11.1.

If 11.1 cannot be installed, a possible workaround is to add a TOGGLE type field to the format being imported into and to add this column to the import file and map to this column in the import script. Set this column as the Import Identifier on the Field Properties screen of the Import Wizard. Set the values in the import file for this new column to all 1's. When Preactor imports the data it will only update records in Preactor that have this toggle field set as true (depending on the kind of expression that was required on the LockIfTrue expression it may be necessary to add an EVALUATE expression on the TOGGLE field). It is important to note that this work around will not work if the Advanced Setting import option Delete Old Records is checked.

Preactor Not Loading When Launched

Dawn Platt — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:13:28 GMT

Symptom

Preactor either crashes or does not load when launched.

Cause

Corrupt data in the configuration settings folder. Indications that the cause of this error is a corrupt configuration settings folder are:

Windows event log (Start>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Event Viewer) reports errors with .net framework 2.
Contents at the bottom of the 'preactorError.log' file. This file is located in the user temp directory (enter %temp% in a Windows Explorer window to access this directory quickly). Error text at the end of the file such as ConfigurationSchemaError, schemaErrors, Inner exception on System.ConfigurationErrorsException will be present if the configuration settings are the cause of the error.

Solution

Delete the configuration settings folder 'Preactor_International_Lt'

Location of the configuration settings folder will vary depending on what Operating System and version of Preactor is installed.

Preactor 11.1 and higher

Windows 7 location: C:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Roaming\Preactor_International_Lt
Windows XP location: C:\Documents and Settings\{UserName}\Application Data\Preactor_International_Lt

Preactor 10 -> 11.01

Windows 7 location: C:\Users\{UserName}\AppData\Local\Preactor_International_Lt
Windows XP location: C:\Documents and Settings\{UserName}\Local Settings\Application Data\Preactor_International_Lt

Once the folder is deleted Preactor should run again, and create a new configuration settings folder.

Maximum number of concurrent users exceeded.

Martyn Palmer — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:35:59 GMT

The following message is displayed when attempting to load Preactor:

There are a number of reasons why this message may occur, these include:-

All available licences for the version of software are already in use. Close an instance of Preactor to free up a license.
The Preactor.exe process is still running. Check Task Manager processes and End Task if necessary.
The user currently logged on to the computer does not have read/write or modify permissions to the license site folder. Check the permissions on the license site folder.
The hidden folders contained within the license site folder are set as read only or the current user does not have read/write or modify permissions to these folders. Check the permissions on these folders and make sure that any sub folders within the hidden folder also have the required permissions.

It may be prudent to create a group with relevant permissions for all users wishing to access a software License Site across a network.

Invalid attempt to read when no data is present.

Dawn Platt — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:39:12 GMT

User gets this error when attempting to load Preactor:

Failed to connect to the database. Preactor will shut down.

Error details:

Invalid attempt to read when no data is present.

This error may occur due to fields or tables being added to the UserData schema that have not been defined in the Preactor.prtdf file. To find out what table or field may have been added, set Preactor to run in debug mode (right click on the .prcdf file used to start up Preactor and select the 'Modify with Preactor 10.0' option from the popup menu, on the 'Runtime' tab select the 'Debug Mode' option then click 'Ok' to save the changes and exit), start up Preactor, when the error occurs hit 'Ok' then go to the current users temp directory, so for example 'C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp', there will be a file in this directory called 'PreactorStorage.dbg'. Open up this file in a text editor such as WordPad, the last line of the file should indicate the table name that is causing the error.

Outside of the Preactor.prtdf file, any Preactor fields or tables cannot be modified in anyway. Tables can be added but they cannot have any relationship with Preactor tables (this includes triggers), and they can only be added using a different database schema name.

User Procedure for Upgrading Licenses to Preactor 11.1

Craig Goulding — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:04:04 GMT

This article explains the procedure for users with versions of Preactor earlier than 11.1 who wish to upgrade. As of this version, a different type of license is required, and therefore arrangements need to be made to return your existing licenses before new licenses can be issued.

Follow the steps below to upgrade your license to 11.1.

1. Download and install the latest version of Preactor from http://www.preactor.com/Support/Downloads/Software.aspx. As of Preactor 11.1, a 30 day trial license is included with the software, so you can get up and running immediately. It is recommended though that you continue with the following steps to ensure that your full license entitlement is in place before that trial period expires.

2. Fill out the end user registration form on the Preactor website at http://www.preactor.com/Misc/End-User-Registration-Form.aspx.

3. You will be contacted by a Preactor support representative, who will issue an update for your existing licenses to apply a 30 day timeout. The procedure for applying this update varies depending on whether you have a software license or hardware license. Each procedure is outlined below:

Software Licenses
When instructed to do so, you will need to request a license update. To do this, open the Preactor License Site Manager found in the Start Menu under Preactor International > Preactor > Utilities. In the License Site Manager right-click the appropriate licences and select 'Request License Activation / Update'. Shortly after you have sent the generated e-mail message, you will receive a response e-mail. Double-click the .prkey attachment to apply the 30-day time-out to your existing license. For confirmation that the update has been successfully applied, click the 'E-mail Support' button on the results dialog. Once we receive this confirmation, we will issue an activation ID for 11.1 which, once applied, will activate your 11.1 license with your full license entitlement.

Hardware Licenses
A support representative will e-mail you a .prkey file which, once applied, will set the license with a 30 day timeout date. Double-click the .prkey file to apply it to your existing license. Confirmation needs to be supplied to show that update has been successfully applied to your hardware license/HASP key.

If you have a network hardware license please run:
Start -> All Programs -> Preactor International -> Preactor x -> Utilities -> netHASP Key Status

If you have a local hardware license then run:
Start -> All Programs -> Preactor International -> Preactor x -> Utilities -> memoHASP Key Status.

Take a screen shot of the resulting dialog. To do this, make sure that the status dialog is the currently active window, and press Alt-PrtScn. This will create an image of the dialog in your clipboard, which you can then paste into an e-mail and send to support@preactor.com. After we have verified that the hardware license update applied successfully, an activation ID will be issued for 11.1 which, once applied, will activate your 11.1 license with your full license entitlement.

4. You now need to use your license activation ID to activate your license for 11.1. If you have requested a local license, you can activate your license in Preactor on startup, or using the License Utility. If you have requested a network license, you must have the Preactor Network License Manager installed, and activate the license using the Network License Utility.

In either case, select 'Activate Now' and click 'Next', then copy your activation ID into the field. Activation over the internet is the quickest and easiest way to activate. If you have no direct access to the internet, choose offline activation; you will need to save the generated files from this process and e-mail them to support@preactor.com. Complete the wizard to activate the product.

On clients that need to use a network license, you can select 'Activate now' when prompted, then select 'Network license'. Enter the name of the server with the Network License Manager installed to use the license on that server.

Your product should now be fully activated.

We ask that you return any de-activated hardware licenses to the following address:

Preactor International,
Cornbrash Park,
Bumpers Way,
Chippenham,
Wiltshire,
SN14 6RA,
UK.

Installing a Package on a Remote Server

Dawn Platt — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:38:24 GMT

Please follow the instructions below if the database contained in a package file is to be installed to a remote server.

The information given below is based upon running a package file that contains local reports only, if your package contains reports that are to be uploaded to a report server then in addition to this article please also read 'Uploading Reports to a Report Server Using Package Manager'.

The Configuration Package Manager provides the following default selections when installing a package, these can be overriden in the wizard:

The database server you are running is SQL Express . The instance of the server needs to have the default name of ‘.\SQLExpress’.
The package needs to be installed by a user who has the appropriate permissions for the database server. Windows authentication is used when connecting to the SQL server, so the user needs to have ‘create’ or ‘overwrite’ permissions. In most cases, a user with Administrator privileges will have appropriate permissions. You can change the SQL connection string using the advanced button in the wizard. This allows a username and password to be supplied to SQL.
The folder name into which the package is installed will be used to name the database. For example, if your package is placed in a folder called ‘My Configuration’ then the database will be named ‘My Configuration’.

If none of the default or overriding options suit the requirements of your installation, you will need to follow the instructions given in the 'Manual Installation of Packages' article for manually installing the files contained in a package for all or part of the installation.

Double click on the .prpkg file to launch the 'Preactor Configuration Package Manager' wizard. The opening dialog will look similar to the following:

To proceed through the wizard, click the ‘Next’ button at the bottom of the Welcome Window and follow the on screen instructions.

Basic Options Dialog
The ‘Basic Options’ dialog allows you to select some basic options for installing the package.
The screen shot below shows what the options look like when installing the ‘Stand Alone Evaluation’ example configuration.

The 'Reports' option is disabled because the configuration packages installed contain reports that will be installed locally to disk and will be rendered in Preactor. These report files are included as 'Configuration Files' and will be installed alongside the configuration files in a folder named 'Local Reports'. The 'Reports' option will only be enabled if the package contains a 'Reports' directory with report files that are to be uploaded to a report server. Please view these knowledge base articles for information on package manager and reporting services if reports are to be uploaded to a reporting server :

http://kb.preactor.com/KnowledgebaseArticle10154.aspx
http://kb.preactor.com/KnowledgebaseArticle10155.aspx

Normally you should not need to change these options, if you want to install the complete package. It is advisable not to select the ‘overwrite’ check boxes unless you know of a reason why the installation might otherwise fail. The ‘overwrite’ option will destroy existing data and there is no way to undo this once it is done.

The installer will use the name of the folder that the package is in (and not the name of the package) to infer the name of the database.
Warning: If you do choose to overwrite anything please make sure you back up your live configuration files and database first. It is important to remember that by overwriting files, you are permanently altering their contents and potentially interfering with the operation of your Preactor system. Please ensure that you are fully aware of the possible consequences of your actions before overwriting any files.

Database Options Dialog
At the 'Database Options' dialog, you have the choice whether to install the database on the local machine or on a remote server location. The information provided below covers a remote database installation only, please view the 'Installing a Preactor Package' topic in the 'Installation' chapter of the online User Help for details on local database installation.

If you choose to install the package on a remote server, then you have the option to enter the appropriate server name, instance name and working folder share.
The 'Server Name' and 'Instance Name' are used to identify the server to connect to. Please contact your system administrator if you are unsure of the server name and instance name to connect to. If 'SQL Server' was installed using the default options then the 'Instance Name' can be left empty for full versions of SQL, for express versions the 'Instance Name' can remain as 'SQLEXPRESS'.
The 'Working Folder Share' option is only enabled if you choose to install the package on a remote server. In this case, you must specify a location where the SQL Server software may backup and restore files. The folder that you choose must be accessible to both yourself and the SQL Server software. Click 'Next' when you have finished.

If for some reason the folder on the server cannot be shared, it may be necessary to install the 'Configuration Package Manager' only on the server and run the package from there.

Installation Summary
The next screen of the wizard shows you the details of what will be installed and where it will be installed. It is important to check that these options are correct and if necessary, click the ‘Back’ button to amend the options.

Package Management Progress Dialog
The installer will now do all the work of installing the package for you. This involves creating the database, and copying configuration and local report files.
These tasks can sometimes take a significant amount of time but should be left to run to completion. Although there is a ‘Stop’ button on the form which can be used to abort the installation process, using this may leave the configuration in an unusable state.

The progress dialog will report any errors or warnings if the installation of the package is not successful as shown below. You can click on the 'Details...' hyperlink in the 'Message' column to provide more information about any warning or errors.

The 'Report…' button on the progress form allows you to see a report of all warnings and errors from the installation. The text in the report can be copied and then pasted into an email to send to your local support representative for more help. Alternatively, you can choose to save the text file to your local machine and then email it as an attachment.

The installer is now finished and, if no errors occurred, you will be able to run the configuration by launching your Preactor system in the normal way. The installer will automatically modify any ‘.prcdf’ files that it installs so that the database connection strings in them are correct.

Local Reports from Visual Studio or Business Intelligence Development Studio 2008 or 2008R2

Dawn Platt — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:28:42 GMT

Symptom

Report fails to open as a local report in Preactor 11 and there is an error:

'An error occurred during local report processing.'

The inner exception details of the error are: 'The definition of the report 'Main Report' is invalid.' and 'The report definition is not valid. Details: The report definition has an invalid target namespace 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2008/01/reportdefinition' which cannot be upgraded.'

Cause

Visual Studio 2008 or 2008R2, Business Intelligence Development Studio 2008 or 2008R2, Report Builder 2.0 or 3.0 are being used to create the report.

Solution

Preactor 11 local reports must be created with Visual Studio 2005, Business Intelligence Development Studio 2005 or Report Builder 1.0.

Notes

Visual Studio 2005 with Business Intelligence Development Studio 2005 can be used to create reports for SQL databases using SQL server 2008 or 2008 R2. The Query Designer, however, does not work and SQL queries must be entered as text.

Any version of Visual Studio with Business Intelligence Development Studio can be used to create SQL server hosted reports.

11.1 License Activation – Failed to send request or receive a response for an unspecified reason

Sam Robinson — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:12:47 GMT

11.1 License Activation – Failed to send request or receive a response for an unspecified reason

If you have received this error while attempting to activate Preactor with a FlexNet license, it could be because the username you are logged in as, domain name, or the computer’s name, contains ‘special’ characters – such as: é ñ ü ć – any character not in the English alphabet.

To solve this, log in as a user that only has English characters in their username and/or change the computer/domain name so that no ‘special’ characters are used.

If you have tried this and the problem persists, please contact Preactor Support: support@preactor.com

NOTE: 11.1 SP1 will include an automatic workaround for this issue.

Preactor Does Not Display

Jon Cooney — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:10:18 GMT

Preactor splash screen does not display

On occasions, the main Preactor splash screen does not appear and Preactor does not show in the taskbar. The Preactor process is shown in the Task Manager.

It is unclear why this issue arises, however a workaround has been found.

Resolution

1. Ensure Preactor is not running.

2.a) Locate the configuration folder and right-click on the command file (.prcdf - recognised by the grey diamond icon). Choose 'Modify'. Alternatively - if the 'Modify' option is not available (e.g. with some OEM configurations) go to step 2.b).

On the Command File Editor dialog, change the Tree View option (either check or uncheck the box). Once done, press Ok to save the change.

2.b) Right-click on the .prcdf file and choose to open with a text editor, e.g. NotePad.

Delete the command line parameter, “/TreeView” (or add it, if it is not present in the file already), and save the file.

3. Start Preactor. The task bar button should now be displayed though the main window may still be hidden).

4. Right click on the Preactor Task bar button and select Maximize or Restore. The main Preactor window should now be displayed.

5. Exit Preactor and in the .prcdf file, swap the view back to the original. When running Preactor again, it should continue to work as normal.

This code is for update number x and has already been run

Sam Robinson — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:10:05 GMT

If the following error occurs when applying a .prkey update file:

[393xxxx] [FAIL] [Copy protection parameter changing.

Version: 3.8, Product code: PR_LITE, Serial no.: xxxxxxxxx, Update number 6.

This code is for update number 5 and has already been run.

etc

It may be because the site_info.xml that was submitted to the license server was not the most up to date version. To ensure that the most up to date version of the site_info.xml is submitted to the license server, run the program called prini.exe (prini.exe will typically be located in the executable directory e.g. Program Files\Preactor International\Preactor10), this loads up the 'Preactor Protection' dialog, in 'Windows explorer' browse to the location of where the license site is situated and delete the site_info.xml file, and then press 'OK' in the 'Preactor Protection' dialog. A new site_info.xml file will be created in the license site location. Attach the site_info.xml to an e-mail and address the e-mail to licenseupdate@preactor.com, a return e-mail will contain a .prkey update file, apply this update file. If an error still persists please contact support@preactor.com.

In the event that there are multiple license sites on the same computer and prini.exe is not bringing up the one that needs a new site_info.xml generated, load up license site manager, highlight the license, right click and select 'Properties', on the 'Properties' dialog click the 'Refresh' button, click 'OK' to close the 'Properties' dialog. Select the 'Request License Activation / Update' this will attach a newly created site_info.xml file to an e-mail, please send this e-mail to licenseupdate@preactor.com , if for some reason the e-mail never loads, please manually attach the site_info.xml to an e-mail and send to licenseupdate@preactor.com.

Accessing SQL Server From A Non-Domain PC

Martyn Palmer — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 15:34:49 GMT

Foreword

Although it is not recommended, a SQL instance may be accessed by Preactor from a non-domain PC. Users may wish to do this if they are using a machine that: is rented; connects to several different domains (that do not reside within a forest); or some other reason. The preferred method is connecting within a domain or - at least - a sub-domain within a forest.

Setup

Make SQL Server available. Any firewall (be it Windows own, a third-party firewall, or a hardware firewall) will need to be configured to allow access.

Ensure that SQL Browser service is running. Ensure that TCP/IP, Named Pipes, etc. protocols are enabled.

In Server Properties of the SQL Server:

Security

Select SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode under Server authentication.

Connections

Select Allow remote connections to this server under Remote server connections.

Credentials

New credentials may be required in SQL Server for the client PC user under Logins.

Select SQL Server authentication, and deselected Enforce password policy.

Select sysadmin under Server Roles.

Client Connection String

If the above setup has been followed, the Preactor connection string on the client pc should look similar to:

Data Source=<server_ip_address>\<instance_name>;Initial Catalog=<database_name>;user id=<username>;password=<password>

(where items in bold should be modified to reflect specific requirements).

Disclaimer

The above method of connecting a non-domain pc has been tried & tested in an informal setting. This article does not provide explanations of all considerations an in-house IT Admin should make. It provides an option in making this type of connection. Anyone wishing to follow the above suggestion does so at their own risk.

ntvdm.exe - System Error

Jason Masshar — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:51:07 GMT

Symptom

When attempting to run Preactor or start the License Site Manager, a message stating, 'NTVDM encountered a hard error' is displayed.

Reason

One possibility is that the path to the License Site folder does not have a short file name. Short file names allow paths to locations in NTFS to be accessed through other file system technologies (for example, the FAT system used by the 16-bit subsystem on which the CopyControl software licensing system is run).

If automatic short file name generation has been switched off at some point (i.e. before the creation of a required folder), an accessible path to the Temp or License Site folder itself may not be available to CopyControl.

Resolution

Check Short File Name Generation
The Microsoft article 'How to Disable Automatic Short File Name Generation' (below) can give guidance in how to check the status of the setting.
If this setting is off, it's most likely that the license folder was created without a short file name.

Clear the Temp folder

From the Start menu choose Run;
In the run dialog type '%temp%';
Delete all entries in the Temp folder.

Attempt to run the License Site Manager again. If it still fails to work, the Temp folder location may need to be changed.

Change Environment Variable

Right-click My Computer and choose Properties;
On the Advanced tab of the ensuing dialog press the Environment Variables button;
Edit the User variables TEMP & TMP to be something like C:\Temp.

Again, attempt to run the License Site Manager. It should load successfully.

Hardware Key Error Codes

Jason Masshar — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:55:08 GMT

Error Codes

Error Code 0 – Protection Key Not Detected
Cause
Unable to detect a HASP Key.

Resolution
Ensure that the latest HASP device drivers are installed on the PC which the HASP dongle is plugged into.

Error Code 100 – Cannot open the HASP Device Driver

Cause
Unable to detect a HASP Key

Resolution
Ensure that the latest HASP device drivers are installed on the PC which the HASP dongle is plugged into.

Net Status 3 – Communication Error

Cause
Unable to establish a connection to HASP License Manager

Resolution
Ensure that there is an active NetHASP License Manager running on the machine with the NetHASP dongle plugged in.

In some instances, a NetHASP.ini file may be required in order to point Preactor at a specific machine running NetHASP License Manager.

Net Status 15 – No Active NetHASP License Manager was found
Cause

1. New installation that was not configured correctly.

2. Network protocol mismatch or configuration problem.

3. Routers/Firewalls blocking the communication between Preactor and the License Manager

Resolution

1. Rename any existing NetHASP.ini files. Check if error re-occurs. If the error does not return check the NetHASP.ini is configured correctly.

2. Check that there is at least one common protocol between the machine running Preactor and the License Manager.

3. Check that Port 475 is open for communication. Port 475 is the default communication port for NetHASP.

4. Busy network with a lot of noise can slow down communication. Use a NetHASP.ini file.

Net Status 129 – The correct NetHASP is not connected to the NetHASP License Manager

Cause
Error 129 means that a call has reached a License Manager but did not find the correct NetHASP. This situation can be caused by the following :

1. New installation that was not configured correctly.

2. Hardware problem or conflict. Two or more HASP keys are connected to the same machine.

3. No HASP is connected to the computer.

Resolution

1. If you are using a NetHASP.ini file, check that the correct parameters are entered.

2. If you are using more than one HASP, disconnect and retry.

3. If possible replace the HASP to see if this is a HASP hardware issue.

4. Check to make sure that a NetHASP dongle is connected and not a MemoHASP (local) dongle.

Net Status 130 – The requested license is not included in the list of valid licenses in the NetHASP memory.

Cause

1. You are trying to access a version of Preactor that you do not have the appropriate license for..ini file, check that the correct parameters are entered.

2. Hardware license has not been programmed correctly with license number.

Resolution

1. Check that you are using the correct license by modifying the .prcdf file used to launch Preactor.
2. Contact Preactor Support Support@Preactor.com

Net Status 133 – Maximum number of concurrent users being exceeded

Cause
This error may be displayed if more users than licenses are attempting to run a Preactor system, permissions of the user attempting to access the HASP key are insufficient or, in some instances the NetHASP key may be corrupt. It can also occur if the host machine is configured with DHCP, and the IP lease expires whilst using Preactor leaving the key permanently logged in.

Resolution
Please ensure that the user has access to the relevent ports. Download the Aladdin HASP Monitor for further checks. Use a static IP address for the host machine.

Licensing Error Messages

'Protection Key is Not Compatible with the Upgrade Information'.
Cause
This error can occur for the follow reasons:

A corrupt version of the .prkey update file.

NetHASP Dongle not plugged in locally

Resolution
Please ensure that the NetHASP Dongle is plugged in locally to the machine running the .PrKey update file.

If NetHASP dongle is connected, ensure that the .prkey file is not corrupt. Contact support@preactor.com asking for a .zip containing the .PrKey file. Some firewalls/antivirus software appends text to the .PrKey file causing the corruption.

This key update file is designed for a different version of PR_KEY.

Cause
This error can occur for the follow reasons:

An old version of Pr_Key.exe

Resolution
Please ensure that you are running the latest version of Pr_Key.exe.
Review knowledge base article : http://kb.preactor.com/10181

Reset Workspace & Toolbars

Jon Cooney — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:45:29 GMT

It is possible for tool bars or the sequencer workspace to impact on the performance of Preactor.

Symptoms

Reduced speed when loading the sequencer;
Reduced speed when navigating between sequencer windows;
Loss of tool bar icons, or buttons;
General misplacement of sequencer options.

Cause

The cause is unknown. But issues can occur when upgrading a Preactor system, whether that be through the migration process, or upgrading from one release to another.

Resolution

A simple fix already exists within the application. It resets all tool bar and workspace options to enable a use to customise their workspace afresh.
While holding the Alt key, double-right click the sequencer status bar. The status bar is at the bottom of the sequencer window, and displays current information and activities - it will normally display as 'Ready'.

Slow Database Performance on SYSPRO/Preactor Model

Dawn Platt — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:11:13 GMT

Symptom

Preactor Splash Screen halts for a long period of time, sometimes minutes when loading Preactor. Preactor becomes unresponsive when saving changes to the Resources database.

Cause

This is due to an extremely large database caused by Sequence Dependent Matrices on the Resource. The Syspro OEM model uses four Sequence Dependent Matrices:

1. Setup group setup time.
2. Stock code att 1 changeover time.
3. Stock code att 2 changeover time.
4. Stock code att 3 changeover time.

In many cases, as with typical ERP Systems, the user may have redundant machines, setup groups and attributes in the SYSPRO database. When sent to Preactor during the download of static data, this causes a matrix for each resource to be created. So if for example there were 375 machines and listed with it 55 attributes, this would correspond to 4 matrices per resource 55 x 55 creating a huge amount of data. Even if no data is being entered into these matrices, each needs to be saved upon exiting the resource database. The sheer volume of data overwhelms the SQL/Preactor connection.

Solution

- Scrub the host SYSPRO data before sending to Preactor.
- Comment out the changeover matrices if not used. SYSPRO already send 'Setup Time' in the 'OrdersIn.csv' fileso this may be redundant.
- If the changeover matrix is needed, reduce the number of unique attributes to something manageable. Remember that the TO/FROM setup time for each of the positions in the matrix needs to be manually edited.

How to Import Pegging Data in Preactor11

Dawn Platt — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:59:14 GMT

Currently in Preactor11 there is no built in feature to import pegging data, but there are plans to implement this in the near future. For now you can do this in code, using the 'Order Links' table. In the 'Order Links' table there are 4 fields of interest for the actual peg:

'From External Supply Order'

'From Internal Supply Order'

'To External Demand Order'

'To Internal Demand Order'

The 'From External Supply Order' and 'From Internal Supply Order' fields are the supply records of the link. One of these fields will contain the primary key of the record it is linking to. If the 'From External Supply Order' field has a value greater than -1, then it means that the link is coming from an external supply order, such as a stock or purchase order in the 'Supply' database. If the 'From Internal Supply Order' field has a value greater than -1, it means that the link is coming from the 'Works Order' database (format is actually called Orders in prtdf). Only one of these two fields will contain a value > -1. If one field has a value > -1, then the other field will have the value -1.

Similarly, the 'To External Demand Order' and 'To Internal Demand Order' fields are the demand records of the link. One of these fields will contain the primary key of the record it is linking to. If the 'To External Demand Order' field has a value greater than -1, then it means that the link is coming from an external demand order, such as a sales order in the 'Demand' database. If the 'To Internal Demand Order' field has a value greater than -1, it means that the link is coming from the 'Works Order' database (format is actually called Orders in prtdf). Only one of these two fields will contain a value > -1. If one field has a value > -1, then the other field will have the value -1.

Other fields of interest include the 'Part No.' and 'Quantity' that the link is for.

The recommendation for importing the data is to first set up a field in 'Supply', 'Orders' and 'Demand' databases that uniquely identifies a record, such as a concatenation of 'Order No.', 'Op. No.' and if applicable 'Lot Number' (if an order contains multiple op 20's for example then 'Lot Number' can be used to distinguish the records). The import file should include enough data to match a unique record in any of the 'Supply', 'Orders' or 'Demand' databases. You will need to write code that searches these tables for a match and then writes the primary key to the appropriate field in the 'Order Links' table, the 'Part No.' and 'Quantity'.

Having populated the 'Order Links' table you need to set up an SMC rule that needs to run that will populate the appropriate fields with the EXPLICIT MADE FROM classification in the 'Orders' format. Here is how you need to set up the SMC Rule pass:

'Clear Current Links' toggle should be unchecked

'Internal Supply Queue Filter' and 'External Supply Queue Filter' set as 'NONE'

'Internal Demand Queue Filter' and 'External Demand Queue Filter' set as 'ALL'

'Include Scheduled Orders in Demand Queue' should be checked.

After running the above SMC Rules pass, the links should be made based on the imported data.

If you are using AMC you will need to run this method:

[PreactorObj].GenerateAdvancedMaterialControlVerificationCodes

Run this method after the links have been written to the 'Order Links' table.

As long as Preactor is running as a 500 APS the correct value will be written to the correct field automatically.