finPOWER Connect Version 6.00.00

Installing

Initial installations will require .NET 9 to be installed alongside finPOWER Connect (if not already installed on the machine). Please refer to the installation guides at the top of this Blog for more details on this.

Scripting

It is imperative that any customer considering an upgrade ensures that their existing Scripting compiles and runs as expected. The Script Compilation Errors Report (Tools, Utilities) is a good starting point for this.

During internal testing, we found that most issues stemmed from implicit references that were allowed in older versions. In .NET 9, these references must be explicitly defined. To assist with this, a References tool has been added to Global Settings (under Developer) to automatically apply specific references across all Scripts in the database.

Running a test compile and switching references on will, for the most part, sort out compile issues. However depending on the Scripting code changes may be required.

Limitations with MS Access

From Version 6, Intersoft can no longer recommend MS Access as a general-purpose data store for production use. This is not a reflection on MS Access itself — it stems from Microsoft's requirement that finPOWER Connect run as a 32-bit application in order to open an Access database.

With the move to .NET 9, the way Scripts are compiled and executed (including Summary Pages and HTML Widgets) now uses Microsoft's Roslyn compiler. Roslyn brings a number of advantages over the previous .NET Framework compiler, but it is not optimised for 32-bit applications, and Microsoft has steadily wound back its support for 32-bit in recent years. In practice, a 32-bit finPOWER Connect running against MS Access can exhaust its available memory unpredictably — and the more users, scripting, and day-to-day activity on the system, the more likely this becomes.

64-bit Access database engines such as ACE do exist, but they do not enforce security to a standard suitable for an application like finPOWER Connect, so they are not a viable replacement.

For most sites, we recommend moving off MS Access. Any site with more than a couple of concurrent users — or one that expects to grow, make heavier use of scripting, or move to finPOWER Connect Cloud or Web Services in the future — should plan to migrate to SQL:

• SQL Express
• Provided free of charge by Microsoft.
• Has some limitations — for example, Microsoft caps a SQL Express database at 10GB.
• Allows for an easy upgrade to full SQL Server once the database outgrows that limit.
• SQL Server
• Requires a Microsoft licence.
• No size limitations.

The exception — very small, single-machine sites. If you are a very small lender — typically 1–2 users, accessing finPOWER Connect from a single machine, with no intention of ever moving to finPOWER Connect Cloud or using Web Services — then MS Access will most likely remain perfectly adequate for your needs. The memory constraints described above are driven by load, and a small single-machine installation places very little load on the application. Should your requirements grow over time, migrating to SQL Express or SQL Server remains straightforward.

VBA Documents are no longer supported

In Version 6 and later, VBA Documents will no longer function. Any customers still using these types of documents should plan to replace them using Gembox alternatives prior to upgrading to Version 6.

The Documents Administration library has been updated to highlight this with warnings, should a VBA-type Document be selected.

Similar to MS Access, VBA has been progressively de-prioritised by Microsoft and many applications are moving away from it. In addition, VBA Documents are not (and never have been) compatible with finPOWER Connect Cloud.

For more information, see: Word Document and Excel Workbook Processing or speak to your Dealer.