Planning and prerequisites

Audience

Use this before any installation to confirm requirements, choose the right deployment model, and prepare accounts, ports, and permissions. This page is Release 5–aligned.

What you’ll decide here

  • Deployment model: single-server, split M-Files/SQL, cloud/hosted, or high availability (cluster)

  • Connector components to include: SQL Assemblies (always), SQL tables, views, procedures and functions (always), VAF (always), UIX v2 Context Menu (optional), Web API (cloud or cross-domain)

  • Install method: standard installer (recommended) or manual scripts (restricted/locked-down SQL)

Supported versions (Release 5)

  • Windows Server 2022+ (64-bit ODBC)

  • M-Files Server: New Desktop (UIX v2). Classic Desktop works with a UIX v1 fallback package

  • .NET Framework 4.8

  • SQL Server 2016+ (Express, Standard, Enterprise)

Permissions and accounts

  • M-Files - A dedicated MFSQL Connector vault user (preferred: M-Files authentication) with Vault Admin rights - System Admin rights required during install/config; can be removed post-install

  • SQL Server - Installer must have sysadmin privileges (or equivalent for manual script path) - A SQL Auth user (default: MFSQLConnect) in the MFSQL database, member of MFSQLConnect_db role

  • Web/API (if used) - Web server service account and SSL certificate for HTTPS

Network and endpoints

  • M-Files Server: gRPC/HTTPS endpoint (cloud) or local server

  • SQL Server: instance and port accessible from VAF/Web API

  • Web API (if used): HTTPS URL reachable from M-Files Server (cloud → SQL)

Deployment models (choose one)

  • Single-server (M-Files + SQL on one server)

  • Split servers (M-Files and SQL on separate servers)

  • Cloud/hosted (M-Files Cloud or separate domains; requires Web API for context menu actions)

  • High availability (SQL cluster; copy assemblies to each member)

Installer outputs and locations

  • The Installer is available for download from the Laminin website https://lamininsolutions.com/download-mfsql-connector/#MFSQL-download

  • Running the installer will: - Extract all required assemblies and scripts to the target folder - Register the VAF package in the vault (if selected) - Deploy SQL objects (tables, procedures, functions, assemblies) to the database - Optionally install the UIX v2 Context Menu and Web API components - Generate example scripts and configuration files for post-install steps - Save all outputs to the installer folder C:Program Files (x86)Laminin SolutionsMFSQL Connector Release 5[MFSQL_database] including:

    • 60-Addons (Various powershell utilities; Web API MFSQLConnectWebAPI.zip)

    • Content package (vault structure updates)

    • DatabaseScripts (saved by installer version 4 files with the SQL scripts)

    • Example scripts (a selection of scripts demonstrating various use cases)

    • Vault applications (signed VAF package MFSQLConnectorVaultApp.zip; IUX version 1 MFSQLContextMenuUIXV1.mfappx; UIX v 2 MFSQLContextMenuUIXV2.zip)

Next steps

Notes for images (you can add later)

  • A simple decision flow diagram: choose install scenario based on environment (on-prem, split, cloud, HA)

  • A topology diagram per model: where VAF, SQL, Web API live and how they connect

Topology diagram

// MFSQL Connector topology diagram (Graphviz DOT) // Renders core deployment models: single-server, split-servers, and cloud/hosted digraph MFSQLTopology { graph [rankdir=LR, fontsize=10, labelloc=t, label="MFSQL Connector Topologies"]; node [shape=box, style=rounded, fontsize=10]; edge [fontsize=9]; subgraph cluster_single { label = "Single-server"; style=dashed; color=gray60; ServerA [label="Server A\n(M-Files Server + SQL Server)"]; VAF_A [label="MFSQL VAF (vault app)"]; SQL_A [label="SQL (DB + assemblies)\nMFSQL_<Vault>"]; UIX_A [label="UIX v2 Context Menu\n(optional)"]; ServerA -> VAF_A [style=invis]; VAF_A -> SQL_A [label="TDS over local instance", color=gray20]; UIX_A -> VAF_A [label="Vault events / Commands", color=gray20]; } subgraph cluster_split { label = "Split servers"; style=dashed; color=gray60; MF_S [label="Server M\n(M-Files Server)"]; SQL_S [label="Server S\n(SQL Server)"]; VAF_S [label="MFSQL VAF (vault app)"]; DB_S [label="MFSQL DB + assemblies\nMFSQL_<Vault>"]; MF_S -> VAF_S [style=invis]; VAF_S -> DB_S [label="TDS 1433/instance", lhead=cluster_split, color=gray20]; MF_S -> SQL_S [label="Network (same domain)", style=dotted, color=gray40]; } subgraph cluster_cloud { label = "Cloud / cross-domain"; style=dashed; color=gray60; MF_C [label="M-Files Cloud\n(Vault)"]; WEB_C [label="MFSQL Web API\n(IIS HTTPS)"]; SQL_C [label="SQL Server\n(MFSQL DB + assemblies)"]; VAF_C [label="MFSQL VAF (vault app)\n(Cloud compatible)"]; MF_C -> VAF_C [label="Vault events / App config", color=gray20]; VAF_C -> WEB_C [label="HTTPS (Web API)", color=gray20]; WEB_C -> SQL_C [label="TDS 1433/instance", color=gray20]; } // Legend subgraph cluster_legend { label="Legend"; color=white; fontcolor=gray30; L1 [label="VAF communicates to SQL via TDS / instance/port", shape=note, color=gray50]; L2 [label="In cloud/cross-domain, VAF uses Web API over HTTPS to reach SQL", shape=note, color=gray50]; L3 [label="UIX v2 Context Menu is optional", shape=note, color=gray50]; } }

MFSQL Connector topologies (single-server, split servers, cloud)