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Windows Client - Installation Guide

Windows Client - Installation Guide

Owned by Morten Lindequist Køhler
Last updated: Jan 30, 2025 by Ute Gillet
6 min read

Perfion Core consists of two key components: the Perfion database and the Perfion Windows client. Once these two components are installed, you can begin using Perfion in a Windows environment.

This page explains how to install the Windows client. Please see Database - Installation guide on how to install a Perfion database.

 

Additional Perfion components can be installed according to license rights and organizational needs. Please refer to separate relevant installation pages found on Perfion knowledge base.

Prerequisites

To complete the installation of Perfion Core you need the following:

  • A login to the Perfion Knowledge Base to download installation files.

  • Access to SQL Management Studio and rights to install a new database on the appropriate SQL server.

  • Rights to create a new SQL user and manage user mappings.

  • Optional: Write access to a shared directory where Perfion configuration files can be placed (all future Perfion users need at least read access to the same directory).

  • Rights to install Windows applications on client computer(s).

  • Access to a valid Perfion license file.

Please refer to the page System Requirements for details about hardware and software prerequisites.                                                     

Install first Perfion Windows client

Follow these steps to install the Perfion Windows client.

TIP: The installation guide below assumes local installation of the Perfion Windows client on each user’s computer. If you want to centralize the client installation to a single instance, install the Perfion Windows client on a central Windows server instead and follow further TIPs below.

Download installation file

Download the most recent Perfion Windows Application (msi file) from the Perfion knowledge base.

Install the Windows client

  1. Run the downloaded msi installation file.

  2. Click Next on the opening screen to start the Wizard.

  3. Read the License Agreement, select I accept the terms in the License Agreement and click Next.

  4. Click Complete to install the full Perfion Windows client.

NOTE:

  • The default installation will install the Perfion Windows client in C:\Program Files (x86)\Perfion\Perfion for Dynamics\

  • Click Custom if you want to install the Perfion Windows client in a different location (useful if you want to have two different client versions running on the same computer)

TIP: For a centralized installation, install the Perfion Windows client on a central Windows server in a shareable folder.

5. Perfion is now ready to be installed.

6. Click Install to begin the installation

7. When the installation is complete, click Finish. 

The Perfion Windows client has now been installed on your computer.

To connect the Perfion Windows client to the correct Perfion database, you must now configure the Windows client with a Client Configuration file.

 

Perfion database connection setup

The Perfion Windows client must be configured using a Client Configuration file, which contains information about the database it should connect to. This information is known as a connection profile. Perfion allows easy switching between databases by using different Client Configuration files.

Follow these steps to create a connection profile.

Create a Perfion desktop shortcut

  1. Start Windows Explorer and go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Perfion\Perfion for Dynamics\bin (or to the folder you chose for the installation).

  2. Right click on the Perfion application (Perfion.exe), choose Create Shortcut.

  3. Place the shortcut on your desktop.

TIP: For a centralized installation, create the shortcut on the central Windows server in a shareable folder.

4. Navigate to your desktop (or the folder where you placed the shortcut), right-click on the Perfion application shortcut, and select Properties.

5. In the Target field, append the following argument to the application path. Be sure to separate the two paths with a space and modify them to match your specific folder names:

a. -ClientConfig="C:\Perfion\ConfigFiles\ ClientConfig.xml"

b. Adjust the argument to your local network settings.

c. It is recommended to use a shared network drive and folder that provides read access to all Perfion users.

7. You can freely choose the name of the xml file. The file will automatically be created during the next steps.

8. Click OK.

Create connection configuration

  1. Double-click the Perfion shortcut on your desktop or in the folder where you saved it.

  2. You will receive an alert indicating that the connection to the database has failed, as no valid XML file is present. Click OK.

  3. An empty connection configuration will now appear.

  4. Enter the SQL Server instance where the database is installed.

  5. Choose SQL Server Authentication and enter username and password for the SQL Server you created earlier. 

  6. Click Test to check that a successful connection to the database can be established.

  7. Select the Perfion database you created earlier.

  8. Select a ribbon color for the Perfion Windows client. The default color is blue, but you can choose another color if you are accessing a Perfion Test/Staging database.

  9. Click OK

  10. The Client Configuration file has now been created in the directory specified by the -ClientConfig argument.

Load license file

You will now be informed that a license file has not been loaded. Make sure you have access to the license file you have received from Perfion or from your Perfion partner and follow these steps to load the file.

  1. Click OK

  2. An empty License Management dialog now appears.

  3. Click Load License file and select the License file you have received.

  4. Check that license information is correct and that ExpirationDate is in the future.

  5. Click OK.

  6. The login screen will now be shown.

  7. Perfion suggest Admin as UserID and no Password. This is the default user in a new database. Click Login.

  8. Perfion will now start.

 

Install additional Perfion Windows clients

Installation of additional Perfion Windows clients is straight-forward since you can reuse the desktop icon and the connection configuration you created during installation of the first Perfion Windows client.

Follow these steps to install additional Perfion Windows clients.

Tip / best practice

Follow these steps before you distribute the Perfion desktop icon to new users.

  1. Log in to Perfion and create a password for the Admin user.

  2. Create individual Perfion users/logins for each new user.

Please refer to the Core User Guide if you need help completing these steps.

Install the Perfion Windows client

  1. Run the Perfion Windows client installation file on each new machine/user profile.

Copy the Perfion desktop shortcut

  1. Copy the desktop shortcut you created during first installation to the desktop of each new machine/user profile.

The desktop icon will work on each machine if the user has read access to the folder where you placed the client configuration xml-file.