Before you install

Review the following information before installing ALM Data Warehouse.

Note:  To install and configure ALM Data Warehouse, you must have permission to administer all license server functions in the Helix ALM License Server Admin Utility.

System requirements

Review the system requirements for supported operating systems, Helix ALM product versions, and RDBMS databases.

Data warehouse database

You must create an empty Oracle, PostgreSQL, or SQL Server database for ALM Data Warehouse before installing. Tables are automatically created in the database when you configure the data warehouse database connection. The database does not need to be the same type as product databases you are importing from.

Additional database configuration tasks may be required before installation depending on the RDBMS you are using. See Database configuration tasks.

Helix ALM product databases

ALM Data Warehouse can import data from Helix ALM product databases stored in any supported RDBMS format except SQLite on Linux. If a product database is stored in SQLite on Windows, you must install the SQLite Importer on the host computer. The SQLite Importer is included in the ALM Data Warehouse installer.

Note:  If you are using Helix ALM 2020.3 or later, ALM Data Warehouse cannot import data from Helix ALM SQLite project databases if the Helix ALM Server database is stored in an RDBMS database. See the Perforce knowledgebase for more information.

Upgrades

Make sure that the data warehouse version you are installing is compatible with the Helix ALM product versions you are using. See ALM Data Warehouse Compatibility for compatible products and versions.

If you use the SQLite Importer, you must upgrade the importer on any computers hosting databases you import from when you upgrade the data warehouse. The SQLite Importer and data warehouse applications must be the same version.

Database configuration tasks

Depending on the database type you are using for the ALM Data Warehouse database and product databases, you may need to make the following changes before installing.

If you use an Oracle database for the data warehouse, the following database permissions must be enabled before the schema is created:

  • CREATE ANY INDEX
  • CREATE ANY PROCEDURE
  • CREATE ANY SEQUENCE
  • CREATE ANY TABLE
  • CREATE ANY VIEW
  • DELETE ANY TABLE
  • DROP ANY TABLE
  • INSERT ANY TABLE
  • LOCK ANY TABLE
  • SELECT ANY TABLE
  • UPDATE ANY TABLE

For security reasons, remote connections are disabled when PostgreSQL is installed with Surround SCM. Before the data warehouse can import data from Surround SCM PostgreSQL databases, modify the PostgreSQL configuration to allow a connection.

1. Stop the PostgreSQL server.

2. Add the following line to the end of the pg_hba.conf file, which is stored in the PostgreSQL data directory. Replace the IP address with your network IP address or fully qualified domain name.

host    all    all    192.168.17.0/24   md5

3. Modify the listen_address parameter in the postgresql.conf file, which is stored in the PostgreSQL data directory. This allows PostgreSQL to listen on all IP addresses for the server it is running on instead of only the default localhost.

listen_address = '*'

4. Start the PostgreSQL server.

If any Helix ALM or Helix ALM License Server databases are stored in SQLite on Windows, you must install the SQLite Importer on any computers that host databases to import from and configure it in the data warehouse. See Importing data from SQLite databases.

Note:  If you are using Helix ALM 2020.3 or later, ALM Data Warehouse cannot import data from Helix ALM SQLite project databases if the Helix ALM Server database is stored in an RDBMS database. See the Perforce knowledgebase for more information.

If the Helix ALM or Surround SCM Server uses a SQL Server database and the user that connects to the database is configured to use Windows authentication, you need to perform some additional setup tasks.

  • Make sure the ALM Data Warehouse Server is running on Windows. Other operating systems are not supported.
  • Change the ALM Data Warehouse Server to run as the same user the Helix ALM or Surround SCM Server uses to connect to SQL Server.
  • Change the ALM Data Warehouse application directory security to give the database user Full Control permissions.