PixelPoint Technical Self Help

Summary

This article explains how to upgrade v9 databases to work with PixelPoint POS v10. If you copy a database from a PixelPoint POS v9 installation to a server that never had PixelPoint POS v9 on it, you will find that the database cannot be read.

Full Description

A customer has a new server and has completed v10 PixelPoint POS installation; this was a new installation, not an upgrade from v9 PixelPoint POS. The customer wants to use a v9 database from another site on the new v10 server. After they place the database in the "\PixelSql\" folder on their v10 server, however, and attempt to start the PixelSqlEngine, they get a message saying that they require Sybase SQL Anywhere 5 to update the database.

Solution

To upgrade any v9 database to work with PixelPoint POS v10, the server machine used must have both SQL Anywhere 5 and SQL Anywhere 10 installed.

PixelPoint POS v10 cannot read "PixelSqlBase.db" files (v9 database files). PixelPoint POS v10 will only read "PixelSqlBase10.db" files (v10 database files). To convert a "PixelSqlBase.db" file to "PixelSqlBase10.db", you need both versions of SQL Anywhere installed.

Remember that a copy of the customer database should be kept at all times, in case there is a need to restore it.

If v9 is not installed on the server

1. Uninstall the v10 PixelPoint installation from the server and then do a complete installation of v9.1, up to the latest build.
2. Once the server has v9.1 completely installed, put the v9 database you want to upgrade into the "C:\PixelSql" folder.
3. Next follow the instructions in the document attached to this article, "Upgrading to PixelPoint POS v10".
4. During the installation process of v10, the system will convert the "PixelSqlBase.db" (v9) file to "PixelSqlBase10.db" (v10). The v10 installation will not overwrite "PixelSqlBase.db" (v9).

If both v9 and v10 PixelPoint POS are installed on the server

If the server has been upgraded from v9 to v10 (and therefore has both SQLAnywhere 5 and SQLAnywhere 10), but the problem is occurring nevertheless, follow the steps below:

1. Shutdown all PixelPoint modules.
2. Verify that both Sybase 5 and 10 are present in the ODBC data sources. To do this: 
1. Select Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC).
2. Switch to the System DSN tab. The following two entries should be listed on the tab:
   • PixelSqlBase | SQL Anywhere 10
   • PixelSqlBase5 | Sybase SQL Anywhere 5.0

If either SQL Anywhere 5 or 10 are missing from the ODBC data sources, then you will need to install (or reinstall) PixelPoint POS v9 or v10 before continuing.

When you have verified that both entries mentioned above are in the ODBC data sources, continue with the next set of steps.

1. Go to the "C:\PixelSQL" folder.
   
2. Remove or rename the blank database ("PixelSqlBase10.db").
   
3. Place the "PixelSqlBase.db" and "PixelSqlBase.log" files (the v9 files you want to upgrade) from the other site into this folder.
4. Go to "C:\PixelPos\utilities\".
5. Run "DataBaseUpgrade10.exe".

"DataBaseUpgrade10.exe" will migrate the database from SQL Anywhere 5 to SQL Anywhere 10, creating "PixelSqlBase10" DB and LOG files in the "C:\PixelSql" folder.

After this process has finished, the site can start the v10 POS, which will use the converted database. The database will also now be able to be copied to other PixelPoint v10 systems and used there.