INTRODUCTION

The following steps provide help for setting up SliQ Invoicing in server mode on a relatively simple network of PCs running Windows 10 Professional.

To allow client/ server operation, SliQ Invoicing uses Microsoft's SQL Server as a database server. The steps below help you install Microsoft's free edition of SQL Server - SQL Server Express.

• Step 1: Choose one of your PCs to be the Server PC.
• Step 2: Make sure your Client and Server PCs are networked and the Client PCs can see the Server PC.
• Step 3: Install the Database Server on the Server PC.
• Step 4: Install SliQ Invoicing on your Client PCs. You can also run SliQ Invoicing on the server PC.
• Step 5: Enable Server Mode in SliQ Invoicing on the Client PCs.
• Step 6: Place Attachments and Custom Templates in a Shared Folder.

Step 1: Choose one of your PCs to be a Server

In the descriptions below, the server PC is the PC on which you will install the database server. The client PCs are the PCs on which you will install SliQ Invoicing. SliQ Invoicing on the client PCs will connect to the database server for editing invoices etc. You can also run SliQ Invoicing on the server PC. For example, if you have 2 PCs in your network, you can choose to install the database server on one of the PCs but still use SliQ Invoicing to raise invoices on both PCs.

Step 2: Make Sure Your Client and Server PCs are Networked

Before installing any software, make sure your client PCs can see the PC you want to use as the server, i.e. make sure the client PCs can see the server PC in Windows Explorer and that the client PC can see the Public Documents folder on the server PC.

If you cannot see the server PC and its Public Documents folder on the client PCs, try the steps below to get your network running.

To make the server appear on the network in Windows Explorer, go into the Manage Advanced Sharing Settings in Control Panel on the Server PC and enable network discovery.

For the private profiles and the guest or public profiles, turn on network discovery and enable file and printer sharing.

For the All Networks profile section, turn off password protected sharing then press Save Changes.

The next step is to make sure your current connection to the network is in the private profile.

Click on the network icon in the task tray on the bottom right in Windows to show your connections. In the screenshots below, TP_LINK_CELLAR is an example name of a PC network. Your network name will be different.

Click on your connected network to show its properties.

In the network properties make sure the network is in the private profile:

For more help, see the Microsoft help on Windows 7 and Windows 10 networking Windows Networking

Step 3: Install the Database Server on the Server PC

To make installation of SQL Server Express easier we have provided a helper utility that downloads and runs the SQL Server Express installer with correct settings. Click the link below to start the download:

SQL Server Express Installation Helper

Note: The helper utility writes a file sqllogin.txt into the Documents folder on your PC. sqllogin.txt contains your SQL Server login details for use on your client PCs in SliQ Invoicing.

Alternatively, to install SQL Server Express on your server PC you could go to the Microsoft web site and download and run the installation yourself. During the installation you will need to make sure you choose the correct options to enable network operation and then create a database user with sufficient privileges for SliQ Invoicing to be able to create and restore company files in SQL Server.

Note: SQL Server Express is a large package that can take some time to install. You may need to reboot your PC after the installation.

For more information on the SQL Server Express settings applied during installation see SQL Server Installer Helper.

Step 4: Install SliQ Invoicing on your Client PCs

If you haven't already done so, install SliQ Invoicing V6 on your client PCs.

SliQ Invoicing can be downloaded from this page DOWNLOADS. You can also download and install SliQ Invoicing on the server PC.

Note: Each user of SliQ Invoicing needs to purchase an unlock code for V6.

Step 5: Enable Server Mode in SliQ Invoicing

Run SliQ Invoicing V6.

If you already have a company open in SliQ, go to the Setup tab then to the General tab and click the Enable Server Mode box. Use the SQL Server login details from the file sqllogin.txt created when installing SQL Server Express above to log in to the server.

If you do not have a company open in SliQ, the No Company Open dialog shows. At the bottom of the dialog is a link to Configure Server Access. Click this link and follow the instructions to set up a connection to the server. You will need your SQL Server login details from the file sqllogin.txt created when installing SQL Server Express above.

In Server mode you can then choose to:-

• Restore a backup from a SliQ backup file to create copy of company file on the database server.
• Create an entirely new company on the server.

Step 6: Place Attachments and Custom Templates in a Shared Folder

If you have edited templates in SliQ Invoicing, e.g. created a custom invoice template, you can tell SliQ to access the templates from a shared folder on your network.

Similarly, if you have attachments on invoices or email templates in SliQ Invoicing, you can tell SliQ to access the attachments in a shared folder.

When you configure the template or attachments folder in SliQ, SliQ will offer to copy any attachments or templates to the new custom folder.

A typical place where you might choose to have the custom templates or attachments folders is under the Public Documents folder on your server PC:

For more help on working with Server Companies, see SliQ Invoicing Server Company Help.