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Video Insight

Video Insight Support | Database FAQ's

Video Insight uses Microsoft SQL Server to store configuration settings and motion alarm entries. This robust platform allows us to supports multiple users, servers, and locations easily. Use the orange menu pm the left to navigate the sections. If you have any other issues, please contact technical support.

Common Support Questions:

Why is SQL not starting up?

If SQL is not starting up, you may have an improperly configured firewall. Check to make sure that port 1433 is open. If this does not resolve the problem, you may need to disable to firewall.

You get the message "Unable to locate SQL Server" upon startup

The Video Insight Server requires Microsoft SQL Server to load. You will get this message in the following circumstances:

SQL Server is not running. You should see the following icon in the lower right (next to the clock) with a green arrow. This indicates that SQL is running. If you see a red arrow, double click on the icon and select "Start" SQL server.

SQL Server

SQL Server Service Manager

Another possibility is that SQL is corrupt, first try to repair the database. If this does not fix the issue, uninstall and then reinstall SQL Server.

How do I repair the database?

If the system will not start, it might be due to database corruption. To repair the database, use the following steps (THIS WILL DELETE YOUR CONFIGURATION SETTINGS, BUT WILL NOT DELETE RECORDED VIDEO)

  1. Using Start/Run, go to the SQL Setup/Video Insight subdirectory.
  2. Run the "Repair.bat" - you will see a text box on the screen with a series of numbers.
  3. Press any key when complete and restart the Video Server.
How do I reinstall SQL?
  1. Using Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel, remove Microsoft SQL Server
  2. Using Windows Explorer locate the "Microsoft SQL Server" subdirectory in the Programs Files folder and delete the entire directory.
  3. Using the Video Insight CD, click on the Install MS SQL Server to reinstall.
How do I backup the database?

The SQL database is located in a subdirectory called Data under the Microsoft SQL folder in Program Files. To backup the database, copy this directory.

Do I need to purchase a SQL License?

The Video Insight Server includes a copy of Microsoft's SQL Server for use with our product. No additional purchase is required.

How do I load SQL on another server?

SQL Server can be loaded on any PC on your network. This includes existing servers that may be used for other SQL based applications. To setup the database on other servers, use the VI.sql script located on the Video Insight subdirectory to build the necessary tables.

How do I setup more than one SQL database?

Video Insight seamlessly supports multiple servers. The user sees a list of cameras and servers in the left navigation tree and is not burdened by connecting to additional servers. This ease of use is accomplished by using a single SQL server across multiple Video Insight Serves. (The SQL supplied with Video Insight can support up to 10 servers, you will need to upgrade to the full copy if you are running more) To configure multiple servers, load the first server as described in the documentation. When loading each additional server, only load the Video Insight Server application. When you run the Video Insight Server for the first time, you will be prompted to enter the IP address of the first SQL server. Do this for each additional server.

Alternative configurations:
In addition to running all the servers from a single database, you can setup each server as a standalone system, loading SQL Server on each Video Insight Server PC. This configuration provides redundancy if the primary SQL server goes down. Users connecting to multiple servers with the Network Client can use the "Advanced" tab in the Tools/Server/Database Setup to list all the SQL servers in your organization. This feature will combine the server information into a single list.

Trouble Installing Microsoft SQL Server

We rarely have any issues installing SQL, except if you have loaded Microsoft Office on the system prior to loading SQL. We encourage you to dedicate a PC to running Video Insight and recommend removing Microsoft Office and try reinstalling.

Ensure that a previous copy of Microsoft SQL is not in the Program Files/Microsoft SQL folder.

What are the PC Requirements for SQL?

Video Insight uses SQL to store server settings, cameras configuration and user information but does not use it to store recorded video. Therefore the requirements are minimal and require only 100Mb of disk space.

Can I connect to the Video Insight tables?

Yes, if you have other applications to interface with Video Insight, you can use SQL Triggers to notify your application anytime a new alarm or other motion event is written.