Before you work on each scenario, you need to set up your environment for the tutorial. You must:

  • Install Microsoft SQL Server Express
  • Configure Microsoft SQL Server Express
  • Download and import a sample Corticon rule project
Note: EDC can work with a number of relational databases such as Oracle, Progress OpenEdge, IBM DB2, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server. For this tutorial, we will use Microsoft SQL Server Express 2014, which is free to use and distribute. All the instructions in this tutorial will assume you are using SQL Server Express.

Step 1: Installing Microsoft SQL Server Express

Microsoft SQL Server Express and Tools is a version of SQL Server that is free to use and distribute. Follow these steps to download, install, and configure SQL Server Express 2014 software:

  1. Download the appropriate installer. On the webpage https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=42299, click Download.
  2. On the Choose the download that you want page, select: ExpressAndTools 64BIT\SQLEXPRWT_x64_ENU.exe
  3. Click Next.
  4. In your downloads location, unzip its contents.
  5. In the SQL Server Express folder, double-click SETUP.
  6. In the SQL Server Installation Center wizard that opens, click New SQL Server stand-alone installation or add features to an existing installation.
  7. Perform a typical installation, accepting the license agreement and retaining the default settings in each screen, and clicking Next until you reach the Database Engine Configuration panel.
  8. IMPORTANT: On the Database Engine Configuration panel’s Server Configuration tab:
    1. Select Mixed Mode (SQL Server and Windows authentication)
    2. In the Enter Password and Confirm Password fields, enter sqlserver2014password.This password is for a default administrator user named sa.
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  9. Click Next on the remaining panels, and then click Close to exit the wizard.

You’ve now installed SQL Server Express and its tools. The SQL Server Express database engine starts up automatically.

Step 2: Configuring Microsoft SQL Server Express

Corticon wants to connect to a database through TCP/IP on a designated port. We’ll configure SQL Server Express for that in these steps:

  1. Choose Start > Microsoft SQL Server 2014 > SQL Server 2014 Configuration Manager.
  2. Expand SQL Server Network Configuration in the left pane and select Protocols for SQLEXPRESS.
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  3. Right-click TCP/IP in the right pane and select Properties.
  4. In the TCP/IP Properties window, click the IP Addresses tab and scroll to the bottom.
  5. In the IPAll section’s TCP Port field, enter 1433, click Apply, and then OK:
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  6. Click OK in the Warning message box.
  7. Right-click TCP/IP and click Enable. Click OK to any warning messages.
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  8. Restart SQL Server Express by selecting SQL Server Services in the left pane, right-clicking SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS) on` the right, and then choosing Restart.
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Step 3: Downloading and importing a sample rule project

Next, download and import the sample rule project Connecting_EDC which contains two Vocabularies, several Rulesheets and Ruletests, and a Ruleflow. As part of this tutorial, you will map these Vocabularies to databases in SQL Server. You can then run the Ruletests to verify that the rules in the Rulesheets are able to perform operations on the databases. Later in the tutorial, you will deploy the Ruleflow as a Decision Service using the appropriate database settings.

Follow these steps to download and import the sample rule project:

  1. Click here to access the sample rule project Connecting_EDC.
  2. Choose the Start menu command Progress > Corticon 6.x Studio.
  3. In Studio, select the menu command File > Import.
  4. In the Import wizard, select General > Existing Projects into Workspace and click Next.
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  5. On the Import Projects page:
    1. Click Select archive file and specify the location of the Connecting_EDC.zip file.
    2. Click Finish.
  6. Expand the Connecting_EDC rule project, and you see two folders: Scenario1 and Scenario2. Each folder contains a Vocabulary and some Rulesheets and Ruletests. The Scenario2 folder also includes the Ruleflow that you will deploy later.

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  7. Select the menu command Project > Upgrade Rule Assets. Click through the dialogs to ensure that the assets in both scenarios are up to date.

Success! Your environment is now ready to use!

You will use the Cargo Vocabulary in Scenario1 to generate a database schema, and you will map the Cargo Vocabulary in Scenario2 to an existing database schema that you will create later. The Rulesheets and Ruletests enable you to do some testing. By running the Ruletests, you can verify that the rules are able to access the database. The Ruleflow in Scenario2 enables you to perform the last task in this tutorial—configuring database settings in Corticon Server during deployment.