Evaluating Exago BI on Windows

Welcome to Exago! We’re glad to have you here. This topic will serve as a home base for preparing your environment for an evaluation of Exago BI.

Exago BI’s entire library of documentation is accessible through this Support Site. As the breadth of the product is wide, this topic serves to narrow that scope down, quickly guiding you through the necessary steps for getting up and running.

All links to documentation from this page will open in a new tab/window. Keep this tab open and use it as a checklist throughout the setup process.

If you need more information, contact Exago Support.

Steps to get up and running with Exago BI are:

Plan for the Exago BI Installation
1. Review the technical specification requirements
2. Confirm supported data sources and prepare connection strings
Download and Install Exago BI
Initialize the Exago BI configuration
Additional Steps

Finally, the Additional Resources section at the end of the topic is where you can learn more about the product and the resources available to you as an Exago client.

1. Plan for the Exago BI Installation

1.1 Review the technical specification requirements

Review the Windows and Data Sources sections of the Technical Specifications topic to make sure your environment is suited for Exago BI.

Optionally, review the Assumptions and Client’s Installations sections of the Considerations When Sizing an Exago System topic for details on minimum hardware requirements.

The server where Exago BI is installed will need to be accessible to all participants in the evaluation process.

1.2 Prepare data sources

The required database drivers must be installed and configured on the target Exago BI evaluation server before a connection can be made. Review Data Source Drivers

Prepare a standard connection string for all of your business intelligence data stores. https://www.connectionstrings.com/ is an excellent resource for sample connection strings.

2. Download and Install Exago BI

2.1 Configure IIS

Prior to running Exago BI you will need to install and configure Internet Information Services (IIS). Refer to our Configuring IIS for Exago topic for detailed instructions how to complete this step.

2.2 Setup Support Site account

Check your email for a message from Exago with login credentials for the Support Site. With those credentials you will be able to download and install the Exago BI application.

Contact your Exago BI Account Executive if you cannot find the email.

2.3 Download the Exago BI installer

On the top-right corner of this page, click the Sign in link.
Enter your email address and Exago Support Site password.
Click the Downloads link at the top of the page.
Scroll down to the Evaluation Installer section and then click on the Exago vxxxx.x Release x button.
Check the I have read the EULA and accept the terms and conditions checkbox.
Click the Windows Download button.

2.4 Install Exago BI

Once the download is complete, start the Exago BIInstaller.

Open the Installing Exago on Windows topic.

Follow all of the steps in the Installation section and up to and including step 3, “Create a folder for storing temporary data” in the Create the Directory Structure section.

For evaluation purposes, install the Scheduler Service and the Web Service API as well, by running the installer again.

2.5 Open the Admin Console

To test that the new installation is working, navigate to the Admin Console. By default this is http://<YourServer>/Exago/admin.aspx

If a page like the one below appears, congratulations, Exago BI is installed successfully!

3. Initialize the Exago BI Configuration

Now that Exago BI is installed and running on the server, some configuration is necessary to get the system ready for use. All of the configuration steps in the following section take place in the Admin Console.

3.1 Configure Storage Management

During the evaluation period, you’ll use a local SQLite database file for content storage. The SQLite file can be easily converted to a production environment at a later time.

In the Admin Console, double-click on the Storage Management item in the pane on the left. Verify the following settings match:

Database Type: SQLite
Database Provider: Sqlite
Database Connection: Data Source=<your installation directory>\Config\StorageMgmt.sqlite

Click the Prepare Database button, then click the Okay button on the confirmation dialog. A Connection to database was successful message should appear. Click Dismiss. Click the Load Themes button, and then click Dismiss when the confirmation message appears.

Continue to verify the other settings in this section match:

Class Id: admin
Company Id: company
User Id: user
Owner Id: user

The remainder of the settings in this section can be left at their system defaults.

Click Okay at the bottom of the Admin Console to save the settings.

3.2 Add a data source

Use the instructions in the Data Sources topic to connect Exago BI to your business intelligence data source.

You will use the connection strings from step 1.2 Prepare data sources here.

3.3 Add data objects and joins

Now that a Data Source is connected, the data objects (tables, views, stored procedures, joins etc…) from that source can be added to the system.

Use the instructions in the Data Objects topic to do so.

Once this step is completed, you are ready to begin a basic evaluation of Exago BI. If you need more product information, including new purchases and upgrades, contact your Exago Customer Success Manager.

4. Final Steps

If the Exago team has suggested a REST integration, optionally follow the steps below.

Install a REST client such as Postman or Advanced REST Client (ARC)
Configure the Exago BI REST Web Service API, following the guidelines in the Getting Started with REST topic.
Review the sample integration code provided by your Exago account executive.

Additional Resources