Configuring the Sage 300 Portal Database

The Configure Portal screen is available if you have installed web screens. You use it to create a connection between your portal database and Sage 300.

The portal database stores files used exclusively by web screens, including user preferences and files that determine how web screens look and function.

Note: The portal database is shared by all companies in a Sage 300 installation, so you need to configure only one portal database.

Create a portal database using Microsoft SQL or Microsoft SQL Express. Normally, you create this database on the same server as your Sage 300 data.

Note: If you create your portal database using Microsoft SQL Express, you must set the TCP/IP port manually to port 1433.

To configure the portal database, on the computer where Sage 300 is installed:

  1. From the Windows Start menu, click All Programs > Sage 300 > Tools > Database Setup.
  2. On the Sign-On form that appears, enter the ADMIN password.
  3. On the Database Setup form that appears next, click Portal to open the Configure Portal screen.

  4. On the Configure Portal screen, enter the following information:

    • Database Format (read-only). Is pre-set to Microsoft SQL Server because this is the only database engine you can use to create your portal database.
    • Server Name. The program automatically displays “localhost” to use the current machine. If you created your portal database on a different (remote) machine, enter the name of that machine, instead.

      Note: If multiple instances of Microsoft SQL Server are installed on the same machine, do not include the instance name. The program uses the unique server port number to determine the instance.

    • Server Port. Enter the TCP/IP port number specified in your database software for your portal database. For Microsoft SQL Server, the default port number is 1433.
    • Database ID. Enter the name specified for the portal database in your database software.
    • Login ID and Password. Enter the ID and password specified for your database administrator in your database software. (They are not the credentials for the Sage 300 ADMIN User.) You must supply credentials for SQL authentication. The Portal does not support Windows authentication.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Click Exit to close the Database Setup form.
  7. If you are configuring the portal for Windows XP, restart the computer so that the changed environment variables take effect. (If you don't restart your computer, you will receive an error message when you try to open the portal.)

    For other operating systems, you can skip this step.

If you set up the portal database using SQL Server Express, you must set up a TCP/IP connection manually, as follows:

  1. Open the SQL Server Configuration Manager.
  2. Under the SQL Server Network Configuration tree, click Protocols For SQLEXPRESS.
  3. Enable the TCP/IP protocol. (The default setting is Disabled.)
  4. Right-click the TCP/IP protocol, and then click Properties.

  5. On the IP Addresses tab, in the IPAll Section:

    1. Clear the TCP Dynamic Ports field.
    2. Set the TCP Port to 1433.
  6. Restart the SQL Server.
  7. To test that TCP/IP works, from the command line, type: telnet localhost 1433
  8. The screen should clear, and you will be in a Telnet session with the SQL Server. If an error occurs, you have not set up the TCP/IP connection correctly.