FastClose Installation Instructions

Before You Start

There are several components to FastClose including:

• FastClose Repository Database

• FastClose Server

• FastClose Designer

• FastClose (Desktop) Reader

• FastClose Reporting for Excel (Excel Add-In)

• FastClose Scheduler

• FastClose (Web) Reader

You can discover more about these on our website.

For a full installation of the product, these are the steps in summary:

• Creation of the FastClose repository database

• Installation of FastClose Server

• FastClose Server Configuration including:

  • Connecting to the repository

  • Adding a licence key

  • Connecting to the ERP

  • Adding Users and Groups

• Installation of the Worker Service for Scheduler (optional)

• Installation of Desktop Clients (Designer, Excel Add-In, Reader)

• Importation of Standard Content (templates & solutions)

• Configuration of Planning & Budgeting (optional)

• Installation of the Reader Web App Server (optional)

FastClose Repository Database & Login

Database

To create the FastClose repository database, start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database server.

Expand the tree on the left until 'Databases' is shown. Right click on 'Databases' and select 'New Database'. We recommend naming this database 'FastClose'. FastClose Server will create the necessary tables itself in a later step.

Login

To create the login for FastClose, collapse 'Databases' and expand 'Security'. Right click 'Logins' and choose 'New Login'. We recommend naming the login 'FastClose'. Select 'SQL Server authentication' and enter a password. Untick 'Enforce password policy' so that the password never expires nor requires changing on first login.

Select the 'User Mapping' page and grant the FastClose login the db_datareader, db_datawriter and ddl_admin roles for the FastClose database:

If the ERP database is on the same database server, then also grant the FastClose login access to that. Tick the checkbox next to the ERP database, then tick db_datareader and click OK.

If you want authentication to be handled by Active Directory rather than SQL Server then configure the access above for whatever domain account the FastClose server will run as (described below), typically a Managed Service Account.

Install FastClose Server

Downloading the Software

You will have received a link in your email to the software download, so click on that to download the installer. When the download is complete, copy the installer to the application server.

Once there, double click the installer to run it. We recommend accepting the default options. FastClose Server communicates on port 5101 by default and we suggest this is left unchanged.

Wait until the installation completes.

Configuring the Repository

Now launch a web browser such as Chrome, Edge or similar.

Browse to http://[ApplicationServer]:5101 where [ApplicationServer] is the name of the server that FastClose is installed on. If the installation was successful, a web page like this should display:

Click the link 'Click here to configure the repository' next to the text 'The repository is not yet configured'. Enter the FastClose repository database information. The fields to edit are:

• Data Source

  • The name of the database server, including any instance name. If the FastClose repository is installed in SQL Server Express, this will usually have the format of [MachineName]\SQLExpress.

• Database Name

  • Enter the name of the database created earlier. We recommended 'FastClose'.

• Authentication Type

  • Whether the authentication with SQL Server should use the FastClose Server's Windows domain account or a SQL Server login.

• Username

  • The username of the SQL Server login

• Password

  • The password of the SQL Server login

The credentials are validated on saving. If successful, you will be prompted to upgrade the repository. This will create the tables and views FastClose needs. Click the link 'Click here to upgrade the repository'.

Then click the 'Upgrade Repository' button.

After less than a minute, you should see:

Logging in for the first time

Click on the Sign In link in the top left or top right corner, logging in with username 'Administrator' and the default password which will have been supplied to you separately. It is recommended that this password is changed once some other users have been set up (covered below).

Licencing FastClose

A FastClose licence key should have been provided to you along with the software download link. The next step is to add this licence key. Expand the 'System' menu option on the left hand side and click on 'Licencing':

Click on 'Add New' and either upload the licence key file or paste the contents of the file into the box provided. FastClose Server will validate it with the FastClose Licencing Server and then enable the product.

Connecting FastClose to the ERP

There are three steps to this:

1. Define a new data source

2. Select the catalog for the ERP

3. Create a connection combining the two

At the time of writing, FastClose supports connections to any ERP where the data resides on an accessible SQL Server instance or SAP Hana instance. In addition it can also communicate via API with Nextworld, Epicor Public Cloud, Acumatica and SAP Business ByDesign.

As SQL Server is currently the most commonly used connection type, we describe this below, but for others please click on one of the following links for more specific guidance:

• SAP Hana

• Nextworld

• Epicor Public Cloud via REST API

SQL Server

Expand the 'Connections' menu option on the left hand side and click on 'Data Sources'.

Click 'Create New Data Source' and choose 'New SQL Server Data Source'. Fill in the data source information to connect to the ERP SQL Server database. The important fields are:

• Name

  • The name of the data source; good practice is to use the database name.

• Data Source

  • The name of the database server, including any instance name.

• Database Name

  • The name of the ERP database on the database server

• Authentication Type

  • Whether the authentication with SQL Server should use the user's Windows domain account or a SQL Server login.

• Username

  • The username of the SQL Server login

• Password

  • The password of the SQL Server login

Test the data source to ensure all is in order. If successful, click the 'Save' button to save the changes.

(Other connection types, re-join the setup steps here)

Navigate to the 'Catalogs' page next, as shown below.

Click 'Discover New Catalogs' which will list all the catalogs shipped with FastClose. The catalog file describes the tables and their relationships within the ERP. Each is named after the ERP as well as the major version of the ERP.

Tick the 'Add' box for the catalog which corresponds to your ERP version.

Click 'Save'.

Move to the 'ERP Connections' page as shown below.

Click 'Create New ERP Connection'.

This page has three fields:

• Name

  • The name of the connection, which will be displayed to end users in reports within the Connections filter. A typical connection name would be 'Live' or 'Production'.

• Catalog

  • Select the catalog you added which matches the ERP type and version of the data source.

• Data Source

  • Select the data source that this connection will represent.

Click 'Save' to save your changes.

Users and Groups

The next step is to create the users and groups who will use FastClose. It is worth creating at least one user who is a member of the Administrators group in case the Administrator password gets changed and mislaid.

Authentication

For a speedy setup, FastClose defaults to using its own username and password authentication system, however it does support other systems as well, such as Windows Domain authentication and OpenID Connect. Information on how to set those up can be found in the FastClose Server Authentication guide but can be adopted at a later date.

Password Policy

FastClose defaults to a permissive password policy for a speedy setup, but it does support configuring restrictive policies to ensure users select robust passwords. Information on how to set that up can be found in Configuring Password Policy. This can be adjusted at a later date.

Create a User

Click 'Users' in the menu on the left and 'Create New User'. The following fields are most relevant:

• Username

  • The username that the user will use to login with. A good practice is to use the user’s Windows username as the FastClose clients will default to that in the login dialog, or use their email address if you plan to configure Single Sign On using OpenID Connect.

• Email

  • The user's email address. This will be needed if the user requests a 'Reset Password' link to set a new password if the current one is forgotten.

• First Name

  • The user’s first name.

• Last Name

  • The user’s last name.

• Password

  • The user’s password

• Confirm Password

  • Confirm the user’s password

• Time Zone

  • The time zone the user typically works in

• Culture Name

  • The cultural preferences that they would like to use. This also determines the language that the embedded help system sends to the user.

• User must change password on next login

  • Tick this if just supplying an initial password

Click the 'Save' button to move on to choosing the groups the user will be a member of, but the only groups defined by default are 'Administrators' and 'Everyone'. Administrators have full access to all folders, reports, connections, etc. regardless of any permissions set and only administrators can access the configuration pages of this Administration web app. During a trial or early phase implementation it does simplify operations if every user is an administrator but this is not good practice longer term.

Click 'Save' to save your new user's group membership.

Administrator's Password

If a new user has been created who is a member of the Administrator’s group, it is recommended to change the Administrator password. Click the 'Edit' button next to the Administrator user.

Enter a new password and confirm it. Click 'Save' to save your changes.

Install FastClose Scheduler Service

If the Scheduler Service has been purchased, now is a good time to install it. Follow the instructions in Installation of Scheduler Service and then return to this point.

Open a Firewall Port

It is quite common for the application server to have Windows Firewall running, or some other security software. If so, it may be necessary to open a network port so that FastClose clients can communicate with the server.

To test this, go to a separate PC and in a web browser, navigate to http://[ApplicationServer]:5101 replacing [ApplicationServer] with the name of the FastClose server.

If the FastClose Administration page does not display, it is likely that the firewall on the application server needs to allow the incoming connection. Guidance on how to open a port on the Windows Firewall can be found here.

Install FastClose Designer on the First PC

So that FastClose has some starter reports for users to work with, the standard content needs to be imported into the repository. This is done using the FastClose Designer app, so that needs to be installed and configured on at least one PC now.

Using a web browser on the PC, navigate to http://[ApplicationServer]:5101 replacing [ApplicationServer] with the name of your FastClose server.

Click on the 'Downloads' button, either in the middle or the bottom left.

Within that web page, click on the link to download the installer for Designer and then run it. Once installed, start FastClose Designer from the Start Menu.

Change the 'Server Address' to match the address of your FastClose server, including the port number, usually 5101.

Click OK. Now the Login dialog will display. Log in as the Administrator user, or some other user who belongs to the Administrators group.

Install FastClose Standard Content

The content file can be downloaded via a link on the same download page as the FastClose Server installer. Save the '.fcdb' file to the PC.

In Designer, cancel the Home dialog, select the Advanced tab in the ribbon and click on 'Import Content'.

Select the content file saved to the PC and click 'Open'. It may take a minute or two but, when complete, a message will show how many items were imported.

To confirm content has been successfully installed as expected, click 'File' then 'Home'. If the Home dialog shows a list of modules and templates, then content installation is complete.

Installing FastClose Clients on User PCs

The next step is to install the FastClose client applications on each user’s PC. If you manage desktop software deployment centrally using software such as Microsoft InTune, then you can arrange it there, of course.

Otherwise, using a web browser on each client PC, navigate to http://[ApplicationServer]:5101/Admin/Downloads

Download and run each client app installer required by that user.

Connecting FastClose Clients to FastClose Server

When a user first launches FastClose Designer, Reader or the Excel Add-in they will need to tell it where to find the FastClose Server. Change the Server Address to match the address of your FastClose server, including the port number.

Click OK and the address will be saved for use by all three FastClose client applications. The user can then log in if they want to.

They are now logged in and ready to work with FastClose.

Verification

Now that the system is configured it is worth verifying that the setup is correct such that data can be displayed on screen.

Log in to FastClose Designer as described above.

Click 'File' then 'Home' and select the GL 01 Balances template, or similar (your list of modules and templates may look a little different):

Place your cursor in the 'Fiscal Year' filter:

Update it to refer to the current year, and then click the Run button.

If some result rows are displayed in the grid below then the connection to your ERP is verified.

This is also an opportunity to update this template so that subsequent users do not have to repeat this year change.

In Designer go to the 'File' menu and select 'Options' at the very bottom. In the Options dialog, tick the 'Advanced Features Enabled' box and click OK. Now select the 'Advanced' tab in the ribbon and click on 'Save As Template' to overwrite the existing '01 GL Balances' template.

Configure Planning

If FastClose Planning has been purchased, then this is the time to configure it. Follow the instructions in Planning & Budgeting Setup, and then return to this point.

Install FastClose Reader Web App Service

If FastClose Reader for the Web has been purchased, now is a good time to install its service. Follow the instructions in Install Reader Web App Service to complete this, and then return to this point.

Next Steps

Now that the system is installed and functional it is worth taking some time to configure it optimally configuring users, groups, set up folders and so on.

Visit the Administration tutorials on the FastClose website to find out how. In particular check out '1001 Planning User Group Config'.