This document is for users installing Timeless Time & Expense Entperprise Windows. If you are converting from MS Access so you can use Timeless Time & Expense Enterprise Web or will be installing Timeless Time & Expense Web alone or in additional to Timeless Time & Expense Enterprise Windows, see this article.
SQL Server 2000 or SQL Server 2005 is best if you already have it. It requires more database administration than Access, but if you have SQL Server 2000 or 2005 already, you already have the resources to administer it. It is much faster than Access, especially as the number of users and task items increase. If you are using SQL Server 2000, run the Timeless Time & Expense Enterprise for Windows installation to create the database on your SQL Server. Be sure your server is configured for SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode.
If you are using SQL Server 2005 you can not create the database using the Timeless Time & Expense Enterprise Windows installation. You should use this utility to create the database on your server before running the Timeless Time & Expense Enterprise Windows.
SQL Server 2005 Express is a free version of SQL Server 2005. This version is limited to using one CPU even in a multi-processor machine. There is also database size limit of 4GB. Database growth can vary greatly depending on how you use Timeless Time & Expense. We estimate anywhere from 1-10MB growth per user per year. When installing, be sure to select SQL Server and Windows Authentication mode. Once installed check that your SQL Server 2005 Express instance allows Remote connnections using TCP/IP. You check this with the SQL Server 2005 Surface Area Configuration tool. This should have been installed when you installed SQL Server 2005 Express.
You will also need to use a separate tool to backup your database.
If you are using SQL Server 2005 Express and Time & Expense Enterprise Windows you will not be able to create the database using the included installation and must use this utility to create the database on your server. However, the Web version will create the database on SQL Server 2005.
Timeless MSDE is a free version SQL Server 2000 with some internal limitations. There is a limit of 5 concurrent database processes executing simultaneously and a 2GB database file size limit. This usually will not have an impact even in large installations. Database growth can vary greatly depending on how you use Timeless Time & Expense. We estimate anywhere from 1-10MB growth per user per year. You will need to use a separate tool to backup your database.
MS Access is a good choice for installations with a small number of users and limited administration resources who will not be using Timeless Time & Expense Enterprise Web. We recommend larger installations use one of the other options. We do not recommend you go over 30 users with MS Access. Some installations may not be able to go that high - it could be as low as 15 users or lower. It depends a lot on how you use TT&E. A large task hierarchy (> 2000 items) can significantly impact performance of reporting. If performance becomes unacceptable, you can convert to MSDE, SQL Server 2000, SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server Express 2005. The main administrative task when using MS Access is to run the database repair utility regularly. We recommend you schedule it to run nightly.