Installing and Configuring SQL Server

For step-by-step instructions on how to install SQL 2016, see SQL Server 2016 Standard Edition Installation.

Secret Serverrequires Microsoft SQL Server as the back-end database. All editions, including the Express version, of 2012–2019 are supported.

Delineadoes not support using SQL Express in a production environment due to size and performance limitations.

Setting up SQL Server requires:

  • Installing SQL Server
  • Creating a SQL Account
  • Configuring database access in Secret Server
  • Installing SQL Server
If you are using SQL Express make sure to get the edition with tools that will include SQL Management Studio. Follow the link in the SQL Server 2014 Express Edition Installation .
Before installing the SQL server, please make sure that the "no count" SQL Server connection property is turned off. If this setting is turned on, no Secret Server jobs will execute.

Creating a SQL Account

SQL Authentication

The fastest method to get started with Secret Server is to create a SQL Authentication account. Follow the instructions in the Database section of the Basic (Automatic) Installation.

For troubleshooting and configuring SQL installation on a different server that the application server see SQL Server Authentication Configuration article.

Windows Authentication

A more advanced way to have Secret Server access the SQL server would be through a service account and using Windows Authentication. Because of the requirement of a service account and added IIS settings, we only recommend this for non-evaluation setups. See instructions in Configuring Integrated Windows Authentication.

Configuring Database Access in Secret Server

Once the account has been created and SQL server installed with the MSI. The third step of the Web installer will ask for database access information.

SQL Location

  • Server Name or IP: If it is a local machine the server name will be (local) or localhost for the default instance, or if a named instance such as SQL Express it would be localhost\SQLExpress. If you are unsure, copy the value from the "Server name" text box when connecting through SQL Management Studio.
  • Database Name: If you have created a database, enter the name. If you have given the SQL account dbCreator permission, enter a database name for Secret Server to create.

SQL Authentication

  • SQL Server Authentication: Implies a SQL account has been created that exists only with SQL Server. The account will need to be dbOwner on the database or need dbOwner permission to create the database. This is recommended for quickest setup. For more detailed information and troubleshooting see Installing and Configuring SQL Server .
  • Windows Authentication: The identity of the application pool will access the database. This requires a domain Service account that has been granted access to run ASP.Net and the database. This is an advanced setting that is not recommended for evaluations. Follow the instructions on using a service account in Configuring Integrated Windows Authentication.

 

We suggest to setup the database maintenance to regularly backup the transaction log for the Secret Server database to prevent system down issues. Once the log fills up, it may cause Secret Server to go down. Check Managing Full SQL Server Transaction Logs for more details.