Let’s Get Acumatica Up and Running!

Today I needed to refresh my sandbox installation of Acumatica on my laptop, so it seemed like a good time to grab a step by step photo guide. Disclaimer: this is intended to simply install on your own PC or laptop, and a production instance would be handled somewhat differently. In this walkthrough, we will install Acumatica 2019 R2 on my laptop with the MS SQL Server Developer Edition database also on my laptop. I already have IIS setup as well as Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS).

To get started, head over to Acumatica’s build repository at https://builds.acumatica.com and download the latest AcumaticaERP install file from the 19.2 folder. In my case, this was version 19.206.0036 from the AcumaticaERP folder. When downloaded, run the file, and follow along.

You will see the screen shown above and simply want to click Next.

You will need to click the checkbox to accept the License Agreement and then click Next.

Decision time! Acumatica does not install everything by default, but if you want access to “everything” you will need to check the boxes. You can develop with the defaults selected, but I like to install Device Hub and Debugger Tools because I have a need for those in my day to day work.

By default, Acumatica wants to install in the Program Files folder, but I like to install it off the root of C: and remove that part of the path as you see above. You can accept the default location if you wish, but click Next when you have decided where to install.

If you change your mind and want to make any changes on where to install, you can go back. Otherwise, just click the Install button to confirm that you are ready to proceed.

You will see a dialog box showing a progress bar and informing you of all the things that are being done for you. Just let it finish and read the messages if you like.

When installation completes, you can select Finish. This is the end of STEP 1 – Installing Acumatica (Configuration Tool).

Since we had checked the box for Launch the Acumatica ERP Configuration Wizard above, the software installation exits to the configuration wizard as shown above. You will want to select Deploy New Application Instance if this is the first instance on your PC or laptop. If you get here after an upgrade, you should use Perform Application Maintenance to upgrade your database and application instances.

The first choice to make is where to put the database. Since I want a completely self-contained installation that I can take with me on my laptop, I leave the defaults to install locally using Windows Authentication. You can select a different database server and/or change to SQL Server Authentication if necessary, but I never do for my sandbox. Just click Next to continue.

Next, you must decide if you will add this to an existing database or a new one. For this installation, I changed AcumaticaDB to Blog so that I can use this instance to hold all of the things I show you as I write my blog posts. You can leave it default or change it as you see fit. But whatever you name it, this is what you will search for when accessing your database directly from a tool like Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio.

We want to install the SalesDemo data that Acumatica provides for us to have a good set of test data, so be sure to update the “Insert Data” field as shown above. Now, everyone makes mistakes from time to time, and this is a good example of what NOT to do! Do NOT click delete as this image shows. Instead aim a little lower for NEXT!

Now it is time to connect to the database. Since we wanted to use Windows Authentication, we will leave it set that way. You can change that if you need to do so, but for a local instance we will leave it default. Just click Next.

In this step, we need to leave the radial button set to Create Acumatica Site, but we can change the name and path to the instance. In this case, I set mine to Blog. This will adjust where the files for this instance are located, and I can setup another instance on my laptop later if needed. When you are happy with your settings, just click Next.

STOP! Time to pay close attention. This screen is very important. This is the screen that will control how you access your site. By setting the virtual directory name to Blog, my url will be http://localhost/Blog when we finish. It defaults this way based on what you named your instance earlier, but you can change it. I don’t recommend changing it. I do, however, recommend changing the Application Pool Settings. I like everything in neat tidy bundles, so I place every instance into its own Application Pool. As you can see above, I selected Create New Application Pool and named it Blog to be consistent. The name isn’t important as long as you know which pool belongs to your instance… meaning, I name it the same for consistency. When finished, click Next.

Now you can review your settings before the instance is created. When you are satisfied with your settings, just click Finish, an sit back and relax while you wait for the installation of your new instance.

The progress bar will change a bit, and you can read all the messages if you want. Just be patient as it takes time.

When the progress bar completes, you should be returned to the Configuration Wizard. The red text is for effect and not actually on the screen… but Step 2 is finished, and you can login to your new instance now!

Remember that virtual director you specified? Now is the time to use it. Open a new tab in your browser and enter the URL http://localhost/AcumaticaDB (or replace AcumaticaDB with whatever you named your virtual directory – in my case Blog). Use the User ID admin and the password setup for the first login. Don’t worry, you will change it in the next step.

In the new password boxes that appear, enter your desired password into both new boxes and click on Sign In. Congratulations! Your admin account now has your new password.

Welcome to Acumatica. Your sandbox installation should be complete. At this point, you should have a fully functional test instance to use as a sandbox, complete with demo data provided by Acumatica. Note at the bottom of the screen that this is a 2 user demo that must be activated to remove the limitation. Yes, it is only 2 users, but that is plenty for scratching around in your own sandbox!

In the last 19 moths, I’ve completed these steps almost a dozen times between installing on my work laptop, my home laptop, my home PC, my son’s PC when I tried to persuade him to get to know Acumatica, and a few repeats from rebuilds of my computers. The process may seem long, but it is much easier than the length of this post makes it seem. Just remember that if you want to clear it all out and start over, you will need to delete the Application, Database, Configuration Wizard, and remove it from IIS as a site and application pool. I am not nearly as efficient at removing Acumatica as I am at installing it, but I haven’t had quite as much practice with that yet. Long story short, give it a try. It’s pretty easy to setup Acumatica, and you can easily explore the software and customizations on the go.

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