Deployment Options
aPriori Professional is typically deployed as client software where aPriori is run on workstations that connect to a central database. In this configuration, there is no application server–a server is required only to host the database. Both the aPriori Professional client and the aPriori database are required. Flexible deployment options exist for both the database and client deployments.
An application server may be required for bulk costing or Enterprise Platform modules such as Cost Insight Report, Cost Insight Admin: Scenario Synchronization or LDAP Synchronization, or Cost Insight Design.
Client Deployment Options
Document Cache – To improve aPriori performance, save a local version of your VPE data in a cache folder.
Saving VPE data locally eliminates the need to extract large amounts of data from the database each time a part is costed. Extracting large amounts of data from the database can diminish performance, especially when the clients and the database server are in different LANs.
You can specify the location of the document cache folder during client installation, choose one of these three options:
• User Profile – The cache location is the home directory of the user, typically C:\Users\<username>\appdata\local\apriori. This option is the default.
• aPriori Installation Directory – Select this location to place the cache in the same folder as all the aPriori application files. Before you select this option, make sure that the user has write permission to that location.
• Note: By default, in Windows 7 and later, users do not have write permission to the ‘Program Files' folder.
• Custom – Specify a custom location for the document cache directory. If you install aPriori locally on each computer, but want users to share the cache location, use this option. The cache location should be a network share that is located within the same LAN as the users.
• If you choose tis option, only a single cache location requires updating when VPEs are updated. However, during costing, each user could experience slightly lower performance because the data pull is across a network.
Note: The user must have read/write access to the document cache directory. Therefore, if you select a network location or the Program Files directory on the local computer, the Windows folder permissions must be set to allow read/write permission.
By default, you also have the option to disable the Document Cache Cleaner. Disable this option only if you set up a shared document cache and automate the updating of the document cache.
To automate the updating of the document cache, run the updateDocCache.cmd script in the aPriori\bin\ directory. Before running the script, edit it and add the aPriori user ID and a password. You can set up the script to be run by a Windows Scheduled Task on a periodic basis.
Database Deployment Options
Clients can access the aPriori database across a WAN. The aPriori database management system can be MySQL, Oracle, or SQL Server. To install and configure the server, if your database management system is:
• MySQL – If you purchase a MySQL license through aPriori, aPriori supplies the software. Also, you do not need to have prior MySQL experience or expertise because aPriori Support fully handles your MySQL installation and configuration.
• Oracle – You must provide the Oracle software and license and a DBA.
• SQL Server – You must provide the Microsoft software and license and a DBA.
Managing Deployments
By default, aPriori supports the ability to separate data and easily switch between the different data sources. For example, you can have a production deployment that has multiple component databases (where part data is stored) and a shared VPE database. This allows a company to segregate users and the parts they cost, while maintaining a single repository for VPEs that can be accessed by all users. This functionality provides a solution to companies that have groups, which do not want to share information or must segregate products and components due to regulations such as iTar.
You can also use the aPriori Access Control functionality to define what users have various levels of access to different components.
Regardless of how you decide to configure your production environment, aPriori strongly urges you to maintain both a production installation and a test installation on separate servers. Use the test installation to validate upgrades and database migrations, and new configurations such as changes to VPEs, Access Control Objects (ACOs), User Defined Attributes (UDAs), site variables, etc. Once you are 100% confident of your changes, you can roll them over to the production installation.
Recommended Standard Deployment
Production Installation – The environment where user day-to-day work is completed and saved.
Test Installation – The environment where Access Control, UDAs, etc. are edited and tested. A typical workflow is to export VPEs from the Production Deployment, import into the Test Deployment, edit and test in the Test Deployment, and then Import into Production Deployment.
To learn how to install additional deployments, for example for VPE development or security, see the aPriori System Administration Guide.
Note: In earlier versions of aPriori, the recommended structure was for all Production and Test deployments using the same version of aPriori to share a license file, with only staging servers using a different license file. THIS CONFIGURATION IS OBSOLETE AND IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED.
For any deployment that you plan to change Access Control, UDAs, etc. in, use a different instance of the license than the instance that you use for production data. The same license file can be re-used for both installations.
If you are upgrading an existing aPriori installation that uses an obsolete, unsupported deployment configuration, you must contact aPriori Support for assistance with migrating to a newer, supported deployment scheme.
Advanced deployments
The previous section provides a high-level overview of a basic aPriori deployment. For more information about deployments and more advanced configurations, see the "Managing Deployments" section of the aPriori System Administration Guide.