Chapter 2 - Installing Database Visual ARCHITECT with No-Install
While most of the applications nowadays require an installation, the No-Install approach is considered to be a lightweight alternative. This chapter will give you an introduction to what the No-Install version is, and show you how to get DB-VA started from downloading to running the application. Here are the covered topics:
Introduction to the No-Install version
Downloading Visual Paradigm Suite from the Internet
Installing Visual Paradigm Suite and DB-VA
Start the application
Importing a valid license key
Introduction to the No-Install version
There is no separate installer made for DB-VA. In order to install DB-VA, you must download and install Visual Paradigm Suite, an application suite that includes all the Visual Paradigm products, and install DB-VA from the suite.
No-Install, as suggested by its name, is a compressed file that contains the Visual Paradigm Suite in a ready-to-run form. Although the suite is ready to run, the products inside the suite still require an installation. You can run the product(s) inside the suite as soon as the file is decompressed and the post-installation procedures are completed. A characteristic that makes a No-Install different from the installer is that, it will not register itself to the system, nor to create any shortcuts during the post-installation. This make the installation more flexible as you can move the installation to somewhere else simply by moving the whole installation folder without the concern of breaking any linkage to the system.
Figure 1 - Click to visit the download page of Visual Paradigm Suite
Enter your account information, and click Continue to proceed.
Figure 2 - Login to proceed to download
Under the list of Evaluation Product(s), select DB Visual ARCHITECT, and/or press on the plus sign to expand the product tree to select the version(s) of DB-VA that can integrate with IDE(s). This option will affect the capability of the evaluation key, which will be sent upon downloading the suite.
Choose the way of receiving the evaluation key, or not to receive it. Here are the description of each of the possible ways:
Ways of receiving an evaluation key
Description
Do not send me the evaluation key
Just to download the suite without the need of an evaluation key.
Send via email as attachment
You will receive an email attached with the key file. Make sure your server allows email with attachments for choosing this option.
Send via email as URL
You will receive an email, which includes a download link of the key file.
Select your operating system from the Platform drop-down menu. Choose the item with a bracket (No-Install) added to the name of the platform.
From the Mirror Site drop-down menu, choose the location that is closest to your current location for a faster download speed.
Click Download to proceed with downloading the Visual Paradigm Suite.
Figure 3 - Visual Paradigm Suite download page
Installing DB-VA
To install DB-VA:
Decompress the No-Install file.
Figure 4 - The No-Install file (zipped)
Note
For Linux platforms, run the following command to decompress the No-Install file: tar -zxf %NO-INSTALL-FILE.tar.gz% -C %DESTINATION-FOLDER%
For Linux and Mac OS X platforms, execute the file VP Suite inside %NO-INSTALL-DECOMPRESSED-FOLDER%/bin/
Select DB Visual ARCHITECT and/or the version(s) of DB-VA that can integrate with IDE(s). Click Next > to proceed to the product configuration page.
Figure 6 - Selecting DB-VA for installation
DB-VA features vary by product edition. For more details on the features supported by different editions, click the hyperlink Edition Comparison which brings you to the web page of DB-VA feature comparison for different editions.
Select the product edition from the Edition drop down menu.
Figure 7 - Selecting the product edition
If you have selected to install DBVA for IDE(s), you have to specify the IDE(s) folder. To install DBVA for IDE in an existing IDE home directory, select Install in existing %IDE_NAME%. If your machine does not have the IDE ready, you can select the option Download %IDE_NAME% from Internet, which allows the setup program to download the IDE for you from the Internet. (This option is available for DBVA for Eclipse and DBVA for NetBeans only)
Figure 8 - Specifying the installation directory of the installed IDE
Note
Only one kind of integration can be installed to an IDE folder. For instance, either SDE for Eclipse or DBVA for Eclipse can be installed to the same Eclipse folder.
Select Download Online Help if you want to be able to access the Help contents from within the tool.
Figure 9 - Selecting the option for downloading online help
Select Download PDF/HTML Version if you wish to read the documentation in this two types of formats.
Press Next > to proceed to the license import page.
A combined license key is a key file which allows unlocking multiple products. To import a combined license key, select Combined License Key and specify the file path of the key.
A single license key is a key file which allows unlocking only one product. To import a single license key, select Single License Key and specify the file path of the key.
The import of license key is optional at this point, because you can import it when you run DB-VA. Click Next to proceed with copying files.
Note
For evaluation, the key should be sent to your email box (unless you have chosen not to receive it before download). If you have not received the email with key yet, and if you have selected to receive the key as attachment, the email might be treated as spam by mistake. Click on Request Evaluation Key to ask for another one. This time, try not to select sending the key as attachment.
Upon finishing, you can select whether to start DB-VA or not. Keep DB Visual ARCHITECT 4.0 selected and click Next > will run DB-VA right away. Click Next > to finish the installation.
Figure 10 - Finishing the installation and start DB-VA
Click Finish to close the setup program.
Starting DB-VA
Start DB-VA by executing the launcher run_dbva.exe inside %VP-Suite-Installation-Dir%/launcher.
Figure 11 - Attempting to start DB-VA through the launcher
Note
For Linux and Mac OS X platforms, execute the file 'run_dbva' inside %NO-INSTALL-DECOMPRESSED-FOLDER%/launcher
The Workspace Launcher appears. A workspace is a repository of the UML projects. Besides storing projects, it stores also the settings, user interface perspectives and other preferences defined for the working environment. Specify the workspace folder.
If you do not want this dialog box to appear again, check Use this as the default and do not ask again. This will cause DB-VA to open the specified workspace folder automatically the next time.
If you already have an existing workspace, you can import the settings from there by clicking Import Workspace...
Click OK to continue.
Figure 12 - Workspace Launcher
If you have imported a valid license key before, DB-VA should be started now. If not, the License Key Manager appears. The License Key manager is a utility for importing a license key. To import a key:
Select License Keys > Import... from the menu.
Specify the file path of the key file.
Press Import to import the key file.
Click Close to close the License Key Manager and start DB-VA. If it prompts you with an invalid license key message, make sure the key you imported does match with the tool that you are running in terms of the following aspects:
Product (e.g. DB Visual ARCHITECT)
Version (e.g. Version 4.0)
Edition (e.g. Professional Edition)
Figure 13 - The License Key Manager
Uninstalling DB-VA
Uninstalling DB-VA will cause DB-VA to be removed from Visual Paradigm Suite. To uninstall DB-VA:
Close DB-VA if it is running.
Run %NO-INSTALL-DECOMPRESSED_FOLDER%/uninstaller/uninstall_dbva.exe
Note
For Linux and Mac OS X platforms, execute the file 'uninstall_dbva' inside %NO-INSTALL-DECOMPRESSED_FOLDER%/uninstaller
