Creating a new vault

A vault is a repository for related documents and their metadata within Meridian Enterprise. Each Meridian application server can have any number of vaults, limited only by the server computer hardware. A vault consists of a database that contains the document metadata and a file system folder structure that contains the document files. These files are called stream files. Stream files include all document revisions, thumbnails, and redlines. The vault database contains all document metadata (properties), vault configuration settings (Navigation views, document types, workflow definitions, and so on), templates, and custom extensions. A vault can be configured with the Meridian Enterprise Configurator to meet the requirements of a single product, project, workgroup, department, or the entire enterprise. For more information on vault configuration, see the BlueCielo Meridian Enterprise Configuration Guide.

But before it can be configured, the vault must be created. After the vault has been created, the Meridian Enterprise Administrator tool can be used to create, run, and schedule essential maintenance tasks.

To create a new vault:

1. In Meridian Enterprise Administrator, click EDM Server in the left pane. The existing vaults are listed in the right pane.
2. Click Next. The Vault Name and Database Engine Type page appears.

3. Type a name for the new vault.

   Note    If the Meridian server is a member of a Novell Netware network, do not use spaces in the name.

4. Make a selection from Database engine. The available database engine types are those that were selected when Meridian was installed on the server and that have registered licenses. For Meridian, the supported database engines are Hypertrieve, SQL Server, and Oracle. Additional choices among the database engine types may be present for backward compatibility. For more information about each engine type, see Understanding the Hypertrieve database engine, Understanding how Meridian works with SQL Server, and Understanding how Meridian works with Oracle.

   Notes

   • Unlike the Hypertrieve and SQL Server database engines, the Oracle database engine requires that an Oracle instance, already exist before a vault can be created. An existing instance can be used but we recommend that you can create a new instance dedicated to Meridian. Use the Oracle Database Configuration Assistant to create a new instance according to your preferences. Meridian functionality and performance is independent of most instance initialization parameters. If multiple vaults will be hosted by Oracle, we recommend that you create a separate instance for each vault. This is to limit the Oracle database size in the event that vaults are deleted or when the Vault Consistency Wizard is used.
   • We recommend that you use only eight characters for the name of an Oracle vault. The reason is that the Oracle table representing the vault only uses the first eight characters of the vault name, and if the difference between different vault names occurs after the first eight characters, then the vaults will appear to have the same name.
   • After you create an Oracle instance, the EDM Server service account needs to be created in the database using DBA Studio or SQL Plus. The account name must be MERIDIAN (upper case) and the initial password must be MANAGER (upper case) in order to create the first vault. For information on the requirements for this account, see Understanding the EDM Server service account requirements for Oracle. You can change the EDM Server service to use a different account later as described in Configuring the Oracle account used by Meridian.

   Click Next to continue. The How to Initialize the Vault page appears.

5. Click options or type values using the descriptions in the following table.

   Vault initialization options

   Option	Description
   Create empty vault	Creates an empty vault containing no documents or configuration information. Select this option if you will be importing an existing vault configuration file or will configure the vault manually. For information on configuring an empty vault, see the BlueCielo Meridian Enterprise Configuration Guide.
   Maintain history	Retains all revisions of documents that are changed within the Main area of the vault. Otherwise, only the latest revision will reside in the vault. This option uses more disk space. To remove unused revisions, they can be archived as described in Archiving documents or removed as described in Removing vault history. For information on not using history for mechanical industry applications, see the BlueCielo Meridian Enterprise User's Guide.
   Enable work areas	Allows work areas to be created from work area templates configured by a system administrator. This option is available for new vaults only. Once enabled, it cannot be cleared. For more information about the implications of this option, see Understanding the effects of work areas.
   Import contents of another vault	Imports the documents and configuration settings from an existing vault into the new vault. Select this option if you want to create a replica of an existing vault for testing, development, or similar purposes. Note    This option cannot be used to import a vault from an earlier version. The recommended task is described in About moving a vault.
   Source vault	Select the source vault to import into the new vault. To exclude specific properties from the source vault, see Excluding existing property values when importing a vault.
   Copy stream files	Copies the document files of the source vault to the new vault. This makes the new vault an independent replica of the source vault. Be sure adequate free disk space exists to duplicate all of the source vault’s files.
   Use existing stream files	Causes the new vault to use the existing document files of the source vault instead of copies. This makes the source vault and the new vault both dependent on the same document files. Select this option only if the source vault will be abandoned. Do not select this option if the source vault will continue to be used. Otherwise, revision conflicts will occur between revisions made in both vaults.

   Click Next to continue.

6. If the Create empty vault option is enabled, click options or type values using the descriptions in the following table. Otherwise, skip to step 9.

   Configuration import options

   Option	Description
   Do not import configuration data into the new vault	Select this option to leave the configuration of the new vault empty so that you can begin manual configuration.
   Import configuration data from  a template	Imports an existing vault configuration (.MET) file during vault creation. Vault configuration files are exported from the Meridian Enterprise Configurator as described in the BlueCielo Meridian Enterprise Configuration Guide.
   Path to configuration file	Type the path to an existing vault configuration file or click Browse and select a file.

   Click Next to continue. The How Documents Will Be Changed in the Vault page appears.

7. Select the vault’s Work Isolation Mode using the descriptions in the following table.

   Warning    After a vault is created, its Work Isolation Mode may only be changed with the Configurator tool and all documents must be in Released status, which may be difficult or impossible to achieve. Consider your Work Isolation Mode choice very carefully before proceeding.

   Work Isolation mode options

   Option	Description
   Off	Select this option if all documents within the new vault will use either document type workflow or advanced document workflow to create new revisions. Documents are always visible to all users, even while undergoing change in a workflow.
   On	Select this option if all documents within the new vault will use the simple workflow of the Create Working Copy and Submit Working Copy commands. No other document workflows will be available in the vault. The working copies of documents are only visible to the user who created the working copy. Other users will see the last submitted revision. When the current working copy is submitted, it will then be visible to all users.
   On, read-only	Select this option if all documents within the new vault will use the simple workflow of the Create Working Copy and Submit Working Copy commands. If this option is enabled, all new documents and revisions of existing documents must be created in work areas, not in the Main area of the vault, which will be read-only to all users, even against property changes. Due to these restrictions, we only recommend enabling this option to meet very specific requirements.

   Click Next to continue. The Configure Database Engine page appears.

8. Click options or type values using the descriptions in the following table.

   Database engine options

   Option	Description
   Path for database files	This option appears only if the HyperTrieve database engine is selected. Type a path where the files created by the database engine should be stored or click Browse and select a folder. This location must have adequate free space for all of the metadata that will be created during the import, plus future growth. For guidelines on estimating the space required and location options, see Understanding document storage space requirements.
   Computer running SQL Server or Instance of Oracle server	These options appear only if the SQL Server or Oracle database engines were selected in step 4. Type the name of the SQL Server computer or Oracle instance. If this is the same computer as the Meridian application server, leave this option blank. The database files will be controlled by the selected database engine. For more information on using a separate database server, see About Meridian deployment strategies.
   Path for content (stream) files	Type a path where the files created by the database engine should be stored, or click Browse and select a folder. This location must have adequate free space for all of the document files that will be created during the import and their future revisions, plus space for future growth. For guidelines on estimating the space required and location options, see Understanding document storage space requirements. The content (stream) files may be located on a separate file server or network storage device by specifying a UNC path. For more information on using a separate storage location, see About Meridian deployment strategies. Note    If content indexing will be enabled for the vault, storing content files at a UNC location requires that the indexing service reside on the Meridian Enterprise application server and a registry value modified as described in Configuring content indexing.
   Location for EDM server local files	If a remote SQL Server instance is specified in Computer running SQL Server, type a path on the local computer where temporary and backup files created by the database engine should be stored, or click Browse and select a folder.

   Click Next to continue. The next Configure Database Engine page appears. If the SQL Server or Oracle database engines were selected in step 4, a page appears listing additional database engine options. Click options or type values using the descriptions in the following table. Otherwise, skip to step 9.

   Database file options

   Option	Description
   Path for database files	Type an existing path where the data files created by the database engine should be stored or click Browse and select a folder. This location must have adequate free space for all of the metadata that will be created during the import, plus future growth. For guidelines on estimating the space required and location options, see Understanding document storage space requirements. For additional folder requirements, see Integrating with a separate SQL Server computer.
   Path for index files	Type an existing path where the index files created by the database engine should be stored or click Browse and select a folder. This location must have adequate free space for all of the index data that will be created during the import, plus future growth. For guidelines on estimating the space required and location options, see Understanding document storage space requirements.
   Path for log files	Type an existing path where the transaction log files created by the database engine should be stored or click Browse and select a folder. This location must have adequate free space for all of the log files that will be created during the import plus space for future growth. For guidelines on estimating the space required and location options, see Understanding document storage space requirements.
   NEW   Database exists	Enable this option if the SQL Server database to store this vault's data already exists as described in Creating the vault database manually.
   Disk configuration scenario	Select the option that best describes the database server that will be used by this vault, which will enable the corresponding path options on this page.

   Click Next to continue. The next Configure Database Engine page appears.

9. Select database cache size values using the descriptions in the following table.

   Database cache options

   Option	Description
   Relative cache size	Type a percentage of the total database size that should be held in cache memory. Larger numbers generally result in better performance. This setting will ensure that an optimum amount of data is cached as the vault grows over time.
   Maximum cache size	Type the maximum amount of cache memory to be allocated to this vault. This setting limits the size of the vault cache so that it does not consume too much of the server’s memory.
   Use HyperCache	Enables (default) HyperCache configuration as described in About HyperCache. Available only if the server's CPU is 64-bit.

   Note    These settings can be adjusted later. For more information on optimizing vault performance, see Optimizing performance .

   Click Next to continue. If the SQL Server or Oracle database engines were selected in step 5, skip to step 11.

10. Select database configuration settings using the descriptions in the following table.

    Hypertrieve database options

    Option	Description
    Maximum size of the database log	Accept the default unless an existing vault will be imported, in which case type a larger value or increase the value of Minimum time between snapshots so that snapshots are not performed during the import, which can delay import completion.
    Minimum time between snapshots (minutes)	Accept the default or type a larger interval so that snapshots are not performed during large imports or during production hours, if necessary.

    Click Next to continue. The next Completing the New Vault Wizard page appears.

11. Confirm the settings that are shown and click Finish to begin vault creation. Depending on the options selected, vault creation can take several minutes or many hours.
12. If the SQL Server database engine was selected in step 4, continue with the task described in Integrating with a separate SQL Server computer.