Technical Specifications Deployment and Integration The zero footprint web architecture ensures no intrusion on your users computers. Use ZAP CubeXpress to bring in Microsoft Dynamics customizations and replicate security. View analytics via Outlook, export to Excel, or integrate with SharePoint, as well as Microsoft Dynamics AX, CRM, or NAV, and generic SQL Server databases Technology 100% Microsoft technology, minimizing the skills and resources you need to deploy analytics. Specifically designed to minimize network bandwidth usage. Highly scalable from one to thousands of users. Suitable for SMEs through to enterprise. Architecture Microsoft Dynamics Sources This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-1 -
Architecture SQL Server Generic Sources This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-2 -
Deployment Specifications All-In-One Option Installing on a single server is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The All-In-One server hosts the Database Engine server (ZAP database), Analysis Services server (source cube/s), and IIS server (ZAP Business Intelligence application). Note: The All-In-One Server configuration does not host source databases and is not recommended for businesses with a source database larger than 100 GB. Minimum Hardware Requirements - SQL Server / Analysis Server / IIS Server Source Database < 50 GB 50 to 150 GB > 150 GB Processor 1 1 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 4 cores / 8 MB 1 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 6 cores / 15 cache 4 MB cache 4 Memory 2 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB Storage 3 < 5.5 GB to 30 GB 8 GB to 80 GB > 80 GB Notes for Hardware: 1 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 8 cores / 20 MB cache 4 1. The number of CPUs is directly proportional to the number of users using ZAP Business Intelligence. Please refer to the scalability testing document for more detail. 2. Memory usage is directly affected by the cube structure and the amount of data being migrated into the OLAP cube. Ensure memory has been well allocated to each engine. ZAP highly recommends configuring the Maximum Server Memory setting of the DBE server to use half of the total server memory. 3. ZAP's standard Staging database is on average between 15% and 30% of the size of the source database. ZAP systems that are highly customized (additional tables added from your Dynamics DB or other data source) can see the Staging database grow to 50% of the source database. ZAP's standard SSAS cube s size varies between 10% and 25% of the size of its standard Staging database. Storage sizes quoted include both the ZAP Staging DB and the SSAS cube. 4. The processor specification is a guide only. Any processor with equivalent capacity is acceptable. Software Server Operating System SQL Server Version Internet Information Services IIS 6 / 7 / 7.5 / 8 Microsoft.NET Framework 4.5 Windows Server 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 (all with latest service packs). Only 64-bit SQL Server 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 / 2014 (all with latest service packs). Only 64-bit Note: The.NET framework is installed by the ZAP Business Intelligence installer on the IIS server, if needed. Other Notes: ZAP highly recommends applying the latest service packs to your Windows Server and SQL Server / Analysis Services software installations. SQL Server Enterprise Edition is required for the following: multi-lingual installations, and implementations requiring multi-currency support. Additionally, the Enterprise Edition is recommended for medium-to-large ZAP systems. Refer to Cross-domain Installation (page 9) if you are using more than one domain. This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-3 -
Deployment Specifications Distributed Option 1 (Using Two Servers) This distributed environment has separate environments for the Database Engine (ZAP Staging Database), Analysis Services server (ZAP cube/s), and the IIS server (ZAP Business Intelligence application). Because this environment supports more users than the All-In-One option, it is the recommended option for large organizations with larger user counts. Minimum Hardware Requirements - Server 1: SQL Server / Analysis Server Source Database < 50 GB < 150 GB < 500 GB Database Engine Server (Staging Database) Processor 2 1 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 4 cores / 8 MB cache 5 2 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 6 cores / 15 MB 4 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 8 cores / 20 cache 5 MB cache 5 Memory 3 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB Storage 4 25 GB 60 GB 200 GB Analysis Services Server (ZAP Cube/s) Storage 4 10 GB 22 GB 75 GB Minimum Hardware Requirements - Server 2: IIS Server (ZAP Business Intelligence Application) Named User Count 1 1 to 500 users 500 to 2000 users > 2000 users Processor 2 1 x 2.8 GHz Xeon Quad Core 5 2 x 2.8 GHz Xeon Quad Core 5 4 x 2.8 GHz Xeon Quad Core 5 Memory 3 4 GB 8 GB 8 GB to 16 GB Storage 100 MB 100 MB 100 MB Notes for Hardware: 1. For Named User Count, it is assumed that ten percent (10%) of named users are active users (logged in to ZAP Business Intelligence at any one time). 2. The number of CPUs is directly proportional to the number of users using ZAP Business Intelligence. Please refer to the scalability testing document for more detail. Consider adding additional processor/s in higher user-count scenarios. 3. Memory usage is directly affected by the cube structure and the amount of data being migrated into the OLAP cube. Ensure memory has been well allocated to each engine. ZAP highly recommends configuring the Maximum Server Memory setting of the DBE server to use half of the total server memory. 4. ZAP's standard Staging Database is on average between 15% and 30% of the size of the source database. ZAP systems that are highly customized (additional tables added from your Dynamics DB or other source database) can see the Staging database grow to 50% of the source database. ZAP's standard SSAS cube s size varies between 10% and 25% of the size of its standard Staging database. Storage sizes quoted include both the ZAP Staging Database and the SSAS cube. 5. The processor specification is a guide only. Any processor with equivalent capacity is acceptable. (continued on next page) This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-4 -
Software Server Operating System SQL Server Version Internet Information Services IIS 6 / 7 / 7.5 / 8 Microsoft.NET Framework 4.5 Windows Server 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 (all with latest service packs). Only 64-bit SQL Server 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 / 2014 (all with latest service packs). Only 64-bit Note: The.NET framework is installed by the ZAP Business Intelligence installer on the IIS server, if needed. Other Notes: ZAP highly recommends applying the latest service packs to your Windows Server and SQL Server / Analysis Services software installations. SQL Server Enterprise Edition is required for the following: multi-lingual installations, and implementations requiring multi-currency support. Additionally, the Enterprise Edition is recommended for medium-to-large ZAP systems. Refer to Cross-domain Installation (page 9) if you are using more than one domain. This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-5 -
Deployment Specifications Distributed Option 2 (Using Three Servers) This distributed environment has three separate environments for the Database Engine (ZAP Staging Database), Analysis Services server (ZAP cube/s), and the IIS server (ZAP Business Intelligence application). Because this environment supports more users than the All-In-One option, it is the recommended option for large organizations with many users that are looking for the most scalable and responsive architecture. Minimum Hardware Requirements - Server 1: SQL Server (ZAP Staging Database) Source Database < 50 GB < 150 GB < 500 GB 500 GB + Processor 2 1 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 4 2 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 6 cores / 15 4 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 8 4 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 8 cores / 8 MB cache 5 MB cache 5 cores / 20 MB cache 5 cores / 20 MB cache 5 Memory 3 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB Storage 4 25 GB 60 GB 200 GB Approximately 40% of source database Minimum Hardware Requirements - Server 2: Analysis Services Server (ZAP Cube/s) Source Database < 50 GB < 150 GB < 500 GB 500 GB + Processor 2 1 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 4 2 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 6 cores / 4 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 8 cores 4 x 2.8 GHz Xeon 8 cores / 8 MB cache 5 15 MB cache 5 / 20 MB cache 5 cores / 20 MB cache 5 Memory 3 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB 64 GB Storage 4 10 GB 22 GB 75 GB Approximately 15% of source database Minimum Hardware Requirements - Server 3: IIS Server (ZAP Business Intelligence Application) Named User 1 to 500 users 500 to 2000 users > 2000 users Count 1 Processor 2 1 x 2.8 GHz Xeon Quad Core 5 2 x 2.8 GHz Xeon Quad Core 5 4 x 2.8 GHz Xeon Quad Core 5 Memory 3 4 GB 8 GB 8 GB to 16 GB Storage 100 MB 100 MB 100 MB Notes for Hardware: 1. For Named User Count, it is assumed that ten percent (10%) of named users are active users (logged in to ZAP Business Intelligence at any one time). 2. The number of CPUs is directly proportional to the number of users using ZAP Business Intelligence. Please refer to the scalability testing document for more detail. Consider adding additional processor/s in higher user-count scenarios. 3. Memory usage is directly affected by the cube structure and the amount of data being migrated into the OLAP cube. Ensure memory has been well allocated to each engine. ZAP highly recommends configuring the Maximum Server Memory setting of the DBE server to use half of the total server memory. 4. ZAP's standard Staging Database is on average between 15% and 30% of the size of the source database. ZAP systems that are highly customized (additional tables added from your Dynamics DB or other source database) can see the Staging database grow to 50% of the source database. ZAP's standard SSAS cube s size varies between 10% and 25% of the size of its standard Staging database. Storage sizes quoted include both the ZAP Staging Database and the SSAS cube. 5. The processor specification is a guide only. Any processor with equivalent capacity is acceptable. (continued on next page) This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-6 -
Software Server Operating System SQL Server Version Internet Information Services IIS 6 / 7 / 7.5 / 8 Microsoft.NET Framework 4.5 Windows Server 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 (all with latest service packs). Only 64-bit SQL Server 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 / 2014 (all with latest service packs). Only 64-bit Note: The.NET framework is installed by the ZAP Business Intelligence installer on the IIS server, if needed. Other Notes: ZAP highly recommends applying the latest service packs to your Windows Server and SQL Server / Analysis Services software installations. SQL Server Enterprise Edition is required for the following: multi-lingual installations, and implementations requiring multi-currency support. Additionally, the Enterprise Edition is recommended for medium-to-large ZAP systems. Refer to Cross-domain Installation (page 9) if you are using more than one domain. This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-7 -
Supported Devices and Platforms - Mobile The table below lists all supported mobile devices and platforms, mobile device operating systems, and the web browsers that you can use on each device to view the mobile version. In addition, the availability of a separate device-specific app is shown. Device/Platform Apple ipad Device Version 2nd Generation or higher Operating System Version Is an App Available? Supported Browsers ios 6 (or higher) Yes Google Chrome Safari* Apple ipad Mini 1st Generation or higher ios 6 (or higher) Yes Google Chrome Safari* Apple iphone 4th Generation or higher ios 6 (or higher) Yes Google Chrome Safari* Android tablet Any recent version Any recent version No Google Chrome Android smart phone Any recent version Any recent version No Google Chrome Windows 8 tablet Any recent version Windows 8 No Internet Explorer 10 Google Chrome Metro Google Chrome Desktop Windows Phone Version 8 or higher Any recent version No Internet Explorer 10 *Safari on idevices is supported only if forms-based authentication is used. Google Chrome This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-8 -
Cross-domain Installation ZAP Business Intelligence supports cross-domain and cross-forest authentication of users by using the standard Microsoft role-based access control (RBAC) mechanism for multiple domains, known by the acronym AGUDLP, which is based on nested Active Directory groups. Roles in ZAP Business Intelligence may be assigned using any valid cross-domain scenario supported by Microsoft's RBAC mechanism. Appropriate network infrastructure must be in place to support the RBAC mechanism. ZAP Business Intelligence requires two-way trusts between the domains or forests. If it is not possible to implement AGUDLP, claims-based or forms-based authentication may be used instead. For more detail about AGUDLP, as well as claims- and forms-based authentication, search the ZAP Business Intelligence online help (help.zaptechnology.com). Virtualization When using virtualization products such as Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware, the following issues should be considered to ensure that your ZAP Business Intelligence and CubeXpress installations perform as expected. The virtual host server must comply with specifications sufficient for the role it is about to undertake (no different to defining server specifications for any other server role's workload): Ensure that the virtualization host s disk configuration is compliant with the intended load of the guest virtual machines it will host: RAID0+1 is recommended for production; RAID5 for development virtual host systems. Failing to use enterprise-level hardware to support the storage needs of your virtual environment can have disastrous effects on virtual machine performance. As a virtual machine administrator, find out what disk subsystem is in place. This is particularly true for managed service environments. Find out how much RAM your virtual machine can actually access. With some virtualization software, this may differ from what Windows reports. Do not use oversubscription techniques provided by virtualization software vendors to the point of overcommitment. This can prevent a guest server s ability to get real access to its memory allocation: Oversubscription enables a virtual host administrator to assign more memory than the physical host has, in an effort to increase host memory utilization by balancing the host memory load. Overcommitment occurs when you have oversubscribed too far and the host cannot service the commitments for memory allocation. Tip: When using virtualization for ZAP Business Intelligence for a large number of users, it may be better to scale horizontally into a web farm with less virtual memory (minimum 4 GB) assigned to each node, than trying to scale vertically by adding lots of virtual memory to a single web server. Recommendation: Microsoft Hyper-V, with the inclusion of the new Dynamic Memory in Server 2008 R2 SP1 or higher, is the preferred virtualization software. Today's enterprise-level virtualization technology now gets you almost as close to the bare metal as a native operating system. This means that a virtual machine can perform just as well as a physical server as long as you adhere to the above recommendations. Citrix / Terminal Services When deploying the ZAP Business Intelligence solution in a Citrix or Terminal Services-based architecture, the following browser versions are supported: Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or higher Important: Internet Explorer 8 is not supported. Google Chrome 20 and above This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-9 -
Requirements Client Computer for ZAP Business Intelligence Hardware 100 MB must be available for the computer on which the browser that accesses ZAP Business Intelligence will be running. Software PDF (for printing) Browser Microsoft Office Excel (if exporting) Adobe Reader 7.0 or newer Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or above Google Chrome 20 and above (stable version) Mozilla Firefox 20 and above Version 2003 and above. If version 2003 is used, the Office Compatibility Pack must be installed to allow newer Excel files (.xlsx format) to be opened. Requirements ZAP CubeXpress Hardware Minimal resources are required; CubeXpress only consumes resources when new data is migrated or source system metadata is read. Software Operating System Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8, Windows Server 2008 SP1 / 2008 R2 / 2012 Microsoft.NET Framework 4 or higher Note: The current.net version is installed by the CubeXpress installation on the IIS server, if needed. Source Databases If using databases from Microsoft Dynamics, the following versions are supported: CRM: 4.0 / 2011 NAV: 5.0 / 2009 / 2013 AX: 2009 / 2012 / 2012 R2 If using generic SQL Server databases, the following versions of SQL Server are supported: Microsoft Dynamics AX.NET Business Connector SQL Server 2008 SP1 or later SQL Server 2012 RTM or later Required for all deployments on AX 2009, 2012, and 2012 R2. This connector must be installed on the same computer as ZAP CubeXpress. Note: CubeXpress requires administrative privileges to install. This document was last updated on: Friday, 18 July 2014-10 -