Preparing the Nintex Database Server

SQL Server Management Studio is required in order to work with the Nintex database schema. If not yet installed:

1. Download Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.

2. Run the installation package using the default installation options.

The Nintex RPA Server installation package to automatically installNintex RPA Server utilizes 2 databases: the application database and the authentication platform database. Both of these database schema must reside in the same SQL Server instance (though it's perfectly fine if other schema also exist in this instance).

If an SQL Server instance is not yet installed

• You can choose for the Nintex a local instance of Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Express. If you will elect this option, skip the remainder of this topic and proceed to Nintex RPA Server installation. Nintex RPA Server Installation

• If you wish to manually install SQL Server, follow the instructions in the Appendix Installing Microsoft SQL Server (Express Edition). Then, return here and follow the instructions for when an SQL instance is already installed.

If an SQL Server instance already installed

If an instance of SQL Server is already installed on a machine that will be accessible over the network to the Nintex RPA Server, proceed with the instructions in:

• Configuring the SQL Server instance

• Creating a login for the Nintex RPA server to access the database

Configure SQL Server instance

Open SQL Server Configuration Manager (a tool installed with SQL Server), and follow these steps to configure the database instance:

1. Enable and configure TCP/IP

   1. Under SQL Server Network Configuration > Protocols for {Instance Name}, enable TCP/IP

      

   2. Double click TCP/IP to open its configuration

   3. On the IP Addresses tab, scroll down to IPAll

   4. Remove the 0 value from TCP Dynamic Ports (so that it now appears blank)

   5. In TCP Port, enter the port number used to communicate with this database instance

      • To use the default value, enter 1433

   6. Click the OK button to save your changes

      

2. In SQL Server Services, right-click the SQL Server service for the relevant instance and select Restart

   

3. Configure and start the SQL Server Browser

   1. In SQL Server Services, double click the SQL Server Browser service to open its configuration

   2. On the Service tab, set the Start Mode value to Automatic

   3. Click the OK button to save your changes

      

   4. Right-click the SQL Server Browser service and select Start

      

Create a login to the SQL Server

Create a login by which the Nintex RPA Server will access the database:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database server

2. In the Object Explorer, right-click Security and select New > Login

3. Enter the following data to create the login:

   • If you are using SQL authentication as your database authentication method:

     • Authentication: SQL Server authentication

     • Login name: set as desired

     • Password: set as desired (the following special characters aren't supported

       For password, the special characters \ ; & " aren't supported.

     • Enforce password policy: disabled

   • If you are using Windows authentication as your database authentication method:

     • Authentication: Windows authentication

     • Login name:the user with rights to run Nintex services on the Nintex RPA server

4. Ensure that sysadmin is enabled on the Server Roles page of this login properties.

   What if I can't grant sysadmin rights to this login?

   The Nintex RPA Server installation package executes certain tasks that require sysadmin rights (e.g., creating database schema and building database tables). If the database doesn't have sysadmin rights at the time of installation, follow the additional steps in Creating Database Manually prior to the installation.

Tip: Hold on to that info!

Make your life easier when installing the Nintex RPA server by making note of:

• the FQDN of the database server

• the database instance name

• login credentials