How to upgrade your Forecast 5 database to SQL Express on your local PC

How to upgrade your Forecast 5 database to SQL Express on your local PC

It is common for larger users of Forecast 5 to upgrade to SQL Express from the standard LocalDb.
Upgrading to SQL Express or higher is strongly recommended for multi-user sites, licenses with consolidations and integrations, and network/server installations.
Please ensure that you have checked your PC against the system requirements and make any necessary changes before completing the upgrade.

Steps to upgrade to SQL Express from Localdb.

1. Export the forecasts from your existing database and store them in a folder on your desktop. See instructions on exporting forecasts here.

2. Download and install SQL Express (Usually the latest version will work but you can check the latest version compatible with your PC in this article from Microsoft to assist).
      - Download SQL from here - Ensure that you choose the SQL Express version. Note; you can choose to create a SA password during this stage but it is not necessary if you are only using F5 locally.
      - See our Installation guide with instructions on installing SQL. Note: the installation guide uses SQL Express 2017, the process will be similar for newer version, e.g. 2019)

3.  Once you have exported all forecasts from your local db, close Forecast 5 and complete this config update - See instructions on updating the config here. 
4.  Open Forecast 5 and you should have a blank database. Import your forecasts from the folder on your desktop. See instructions on importing forecasts here.

You are now connecting to Forecast 5 using an SQL Express database and should notice an improvement in speed.

If you have any issues with this process or would like Forecast 5's experienced consultants to complete this for you, please contact us on support@forecast5.com

    • Related Articles

    • Automating SQL database backups

      Because Forecast 5 is not yet a cloud solution and currently uses an SQL database to store your forecasts on either your local PC or server, it is important that you arrange for your SQL database to be backed up. If you use the standard local ...

    • Upgrading Forecast 5 when on a network/server

      When updating Forecast 5 to the latest version, users on a network or server must consider a few things: 1. No one must be using the program during the upgrade process. Only once the whole upgrade process has been completed should users re-enter the ...

    • Database creation: NullReferenceException

      Issue: When trying to create a new database, you are receiving the following error but the database is still created in SQL:  NullReferenceException Object reference not set to an instance of an object. Cause: This is caused by attempting to connect ...

    • Forecast 5 Support Policy

      The annual subscription includes the provision of support to an end user, access to the online training videos, continued use of the product and access to updates and releases.  You have access to the Forecast 5 Knowledge Base, available ...

    • Moving Forecast 5 from one PC to another.

      If you have a Single Computer License and you change computers, there are two ways to do keep your forecasts: First follow the process to deactivate your license in this article How To Deactivate Your License (forecast5.com) Method 1: For those using ...