SQL Server

Aurora is capable of creating output databases in Microsoft SQL Server or SQL Server Express. One benefit of using SQL Server rather than SQL Server Express, which is free, is that SQL Server does not have any database size restrictions. More information about the SQL database size restrictions can be found on Microsoft’s website. To use the SQL output option in Aurora you must have access to a SQL Server on your network or an installed copy of SQL Server Express.

For a more detailed discussion see Recommendations for using SQL Server with Aurora.

NOTE: SQL Server Express has some database size limits. See Microsoft's website for more information.

If Microsoft SQL Server 2005 or later is installed, the SQL Bulk Load capability can be used when writing to the output database. The Load Locking options are selected from the Advanced Options button. If available, this option will result in significantly improved performance for database writes over standard SQL Server. In Energy Exemplar testing, the speed proved to be comparable or superior to that of any other output format.

NOTE: In order for Aurora to use SQL Server, you must have the name of a SQL Server on your network, a user name, and a password. Both types of user authentication (Windows Integrated and SQL Server) can be used in Aurora. Your database administrator will know which version your SQL Server uses.

NOTE: When using SQL Servers for database management, Aurora can separate the input and output SQL Servers so they can be specified independently.

To use SQL Server with Aurora:

In the Reporting folder of Simulation Options, select SQL Server as the Database Type and select the Change... button to begin the SQL Server setup.

(1) If using the server on your local machine, the SQL Server Name may be left with the default name "localhost". If the server name is not known, use the dropdown to browse the network for available servers.

(2) If using a SQL Server on your network that requires Windows Integrated Authentication, leave the SQL User Name and SQL Password blank.

If using a SQL Server on your network that requires SQL Server Authentication, you must enter the User Name and Password given to you by your database administrator. Your user rights in SQL Server will need to include those of the “database creators” role.

(3) Be sure the Database Name is a valid SQL Server database name. Select one from the list of existing databases or type in a new name.

NOTE: The SQL Server database name cannot begin with a space or contain embedded spaces, special characters, or reserved words.

(4) (Optional) Use the additional parameters area when creating custom SQL Server output databases. These additional parameters are specified by entering Transact-SQL CREATE DATABASE statements into this text field. Because SQL Server environment configurations can vary greatly, the syntax of these statements is highly dependent on the setup of the SQL Server you are using (e.g. user access rights, folder permissions, etc.). The syntax to use should be the desired Transact-SQL syntax immediately after the following wording:

“CREATE DATABASE thedatabasename”

NOTE: If a SQL Server database with a given name already exists, Aurora will not drop it, rather it drops all of the tables. A new database is not created for existing databases even if the multiple runs to a database is not set.

Simulation Options

Reporting

SQL