Have you made any backups?

SigmaNEST makes use of a Microsoft SQL database and sometimes there can be a connection issue between the SigmaNEST workstation and the database.

If you are just getting started, please follow this guide for setting up a new database.

Manually connecting

Sometimes SigmaNEST doesn’t automatically connect to the database, or you might need to change or manually connect to a database. Follow this guide for changing databases. After you are finished, however, you may see one or both of these error messages:

The following guide will help you resolve these issues.

Starting the service

Most computer programs rely on background services to function properly. Sometimes the service for the SQL database does not start automatically. In this case, on the computer hosting the SQL database, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Windows logo.
2. Type “services” in the search box, and press Enter.
3. Locate and click SQL Server (SIGMANEST).
4. If this service is not running, click Start the service.
5. Close Services, and restart SigmaNEST.

Note: If you can’t find an SQL Server, you will need to run the database installer as outlined in Setting up a new database.

Firewall is not allowing you to search for SQL servers

If everything is installed, but you still can’t connect to your database, then your system’s firewall could be blocking access. This is most common in third-party anti-virus software like Norton, Kaspersky, Avast, etc., but it also can occur with Windows Firewall. Try these fixes:

1. Determine which firewall(s) are running on your computer and disable them temporarily.
2. Restart the SQL Server (SIGMANEST) service on the computer where the database is located and try connecting again from the workstation.
3. Run SigmaNEST Database Installer again.
4. Once a database connection has been established, re-activate your firewall(s).
5. If this doesn’t work, an exception for SQL might need to be programmed into your firewall by your IT department. This would need to be for the SigmaNEST and Microsoft SQL executables as well as for ports 1434 and 1435 (TCP). 

Local vs. network connection

By nature, all SQL databases are accessible over a network. It’s critical to understand whether your company’s SigmaNEST SQL server is installed locally (on the computer you are working on) or on another computer or server within your company. Here’s how to tell:

• In SQL Login, SQL Server will list the local computer as well as all the computers visible on your network with active SQL servers. The SigmaNEST server will generally be called COMPUTERNAME/SIGMANEST.

Note: Even if there is no SQL Server installed on your local computer, the top option in the server dropdown will still list LOCALCOMPUTERNAME/SIGMANEST as the first option. To verify if there is a SQL Server installation on your local computer, you should open services and look for a SQL Server (SIGMANEST) service.

Back up a database

It’s good practice to back up your SigmaNEST database regularly. This ensures minimal data loss in the case of a server crash or other database issue. This article will walk you through how to back up the SigmaNEST database. 

If you are familiar with Command Prompt, you can use the advanced method, otherwise, you should back up your database using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. 

Before starting, make sure you have administrative rights to both the computer you’re using and the SQL server.

Using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio

1. If you don’t already have Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), download it here and install it on the computer hosting the SQL server.
2. Start SSMS.
3. Enter the credentials to log into the local SigmaNEST SQL Server (by default this will be [ComputerName]\SIGMANEST).
4. Click Connect.
5. In the left tree view, expand the Databases folder.
6. Find the database that you want to back up, then right-click it and select Tasks > Backup. (see image ref 6 below)
7. From the window that opens, make sure that the following is correct:
   • Database is the database you selected.
   • Backup type is Full.
   • Backup component is Database.
8. In destination, select Disk, then if there is no backup already present, click Add.
9. Select File Name, then click the “…” button.
10. Navigate to the folder where you want to store the backup.
11. Enter a name for your backup. (Make sure to add the ”.bak” to the end of the backup, otherwise restoring may be more difficult.)
12. Continue clicking OK until you return to the backup window. You should now see the path to your backup file in the destination box.
13. (Optional) You can change whether you overwrite a backup or if you are appending to an existing backup in the Media Options tab. You can also give your backup a unique name and description from the Backup Options tab.
14. Click OK to back up the database.
15. When it is finished, verify that the backup is in the location you specified.

(Advanced) Using command prompt

1. Launch Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type SQLCMD -S (LOCAL)\SIGMANEST and press Enter (this is the default string for a server setup by the SigmaNEST installer on the local machine).
3. Next, type BACKUP DATABASE SNDBase TO DISK = ‘C:\temp\backup.bak’, replacing “SNDBase” with the database you want to back up and “C:\temp\backup.bak” with the path you want to save the backup to. Press Enter.
4. Type GO and press Enter. You should then see some information updating you on the progress of the backup. 
5. When finished verify that the backup is in the location you specified.