Total Control Premier Server Setup
This article applies to Total Control Premier version 2.09 and higher - screenshots are taken from Total Control Premier version 2.11.
Requirements
- An instance of Microsoft SQL Server 2008R2 or higher is required; we would always recommend using the latest release of Microsoft SQL Server where possible
- An Administrator account, or a user account with permissions to install software and services, and make changes to folders and the Windows registry
By default, the Job Controller, Report Controller and Update services, which manage real-time communication between the Server, POS Terminals and Client PCs, are configured to run as the Local System user. The user details can be changed after the installation through the Windows Services snap-in.
Crystal Reports
Crystal Reports Runtime is required for reporting, and is installed as part of the Prerequisites, as noted below.
InstallShield Wizard
Open the Total Control Premier InstallShield Wizard executable. The latest installers for Total Control Premier can be found in the Total Control Premier Installers and Manuals article.
Prerequisites
Depending on the operating system version and other factors such as Windows Updates and other applications and features being installed, several prerequisites such as Crystal Reports Runtime and Visual C++ Redistributables may be installed before the main Total Control Premier InstallShield Wizard can run. You may be prompted to restart one or more times during this process.
There is a known issue where Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server does not always get installed as part of the prerequisites, but the driver is required for reporting to work correctly. The issue will be resolved in a future release, but it is highly recommended that this is installed either before or after the Total Control Premier InstallShield Wizard is run. Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server can be downloaded from the Fidelity Installers section of the Knowledge Base, or from the Microsoft Docs web site.
Installation Process
Follow the on-screen prompts, clicking on Next, accepting the Licence Agreement, and reading through the Release Notes as appropriate.
Total Control Premier Version 2.11
When prompted with the choice to use the Server, Client, or Custom install options, select Custom, and then click on Next. Click on the Digital Persona Drivers feature and set the option to “This feature, and all subfeatures, will be installed on local hard drive”. There is a known issue in version 2.11 of Total Control Premier that results in the Clerks applet crashing if these drivers are not installed, but they do not get installed by default. This issue will be resolved in a future release, but following this Custom process will ensure that the drivers are installed.
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All other versions of Total Control Premier
When prompted with the choice to use the Server, Client, or Custom install options, select Server, and then click on Next.
Total Control Premier Cloud Edition
When prompted with the choice to use the Server, Client, or Custom install options, select Custom, and then click on Next. Click on the Cloud Edition feature and set the set the option to “This feature, and all subfeatures, will be installed on local hard drive”. See the Total Control Premier Cloud Edition Setup article for details on how to configure this feature.
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Click on Install, and Total Control Premier will be installed.
Software Registration
At the end of the installation process, the Software Registration Wizard will start, for you to activate the licence to run Total Control Premier on the server. Enter the eight-digit licence code, untick Activate now using my internet connection checkbox, and then click on Next.
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A Key Number will be generated, which will need to be sent to Fidelity for an Activation Code to be generated. Clicking on the Key Number will copy it to the clipboard, so it can be pasted into an email. This email will need to be sent to support@fidelitysystems.co.uk.
An Activation Code will be sent back to you, and this needs to be pasted into the box below the Key Number. Click on Next, and a "Thank you for purchasing a Fidelity product" message will be displayed, to confirm that Total Control Premier is activated.
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Click on Close to close the Software Registration Wizard, and then click on Finish to complete the Total Control Premier InstallShield Wizard.
Starting Total Control Premier
Open Total Control Premier, by double-clicking on the Total Control Premier icon on the desktop, or by running the Total Control Premier shortcut in Start > All Programs > Fidelity Systems > Total Control Premier.
Data Source Setup
You will be prompted to set up a Data Source for Total Control Premier to connect to. This involves entering SQL connection details along with the relevant authentication details.
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Option |
Description |
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Description |
A description of the database, eg "Total Control Premier", "TCP 211 ,"Hospitality", "Retail", etc. This can be changed at any time. |
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SQL Server Name/IP |
The name or IP address of the SQL instance, eg “(LOCAL)\FIDELITY", “SERVER\FIDELITY", “192.168.1.100\FIDELITY”, etc. |
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Database Name |
The name of the Total Control Premier database to connect to, or create if no database exists. |
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SQL Authentication |
Whether or not to use SQL (Mixed Mode) Authentication, or standard Windows Authentication. If Windows Authentication is used, the Windows user account must be granted access to the database. |
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SQL User Name |
The SQL User Name to be used to access the database, eg “SA”. |
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SQL Password |
The SQL Password for the SQL User Name to be used to access the database. |
Once a connection is established to the database, Total Control Premier will confirm that the connection is successful and will start. If an existing database is to be used, then you will need to know the SQL connection details for that database.
Adding Additional Data Sources
If you want to connect to different Total Control Premier databases, you can do so through the Total Control Premier Data Manager, which can be found in Start > All Programs > Fidelity Systems > Total Control Premier. When the Data Manager opens, click on New, and then follow the instructions as above for adding a data source. If you want to edit or delete an existing data source, click on the required data source, and then click on Edit or Delete.
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By default, the data source at the top of the list will be the one opened when you run Total Control Premier on its own, as opposed to the Total Control Premier Data Manager. If you want to specify another data source to run as default, click on the required data source, and then click on Set As Default .
Data Source Location
The Data Sources are saved in a file called TCPConnections.xml , which is found in C:\ProgramData\Fidelity Systems\Total Control Premier. It is recommended that this file is backed up for reference and future server configuration purposes. By copying this file from an existing setup to the folder on a client PC or new/additional server, you can bypass the Data Source Setup process and have Total Control Premier connect to the database without any further configuration. Please be aware though, that if you copy the file from the server and the SQL Server Name/IP points to “(LOCAL)” rather than the actual server name or IP address, this will need to be amended to the correct server name or IP address before being used on a client PC.
By default, and unless otherwise specified by local computer or group policy, users without Administrator privileges will only have Read-Only access to the data source folder, and so once Total Control Premier is installed and configured, it will not be possible for users to add or change data sources, unless they are granted Write permissions to that folder or a user with Administrator privileges makes the changes.
New Database Creation
If you are setting up Total Control Premier for the first time and a database does not exist, you will be prompted to create a new database. Click on Yes to create the database and wait a few minutes for Total Control Premier to set this up.
Partition Details
Transactions in the Total Control Premier database are partitioned into several date periods in order to speed up the reporting process. When the database is first created, you are prompted to change the periods that transactions are held in each partition, but it is recommended that these options are left as the default. Fidelity Support can provide further information if this is needed.
New Computer Wizard
Total Control Premier records some basic details about each computer being used to access the database, for simple auditing and logging purposes, and also so it knows which computer(s) can be used to run the Job Controller, Report Controller and Update services.
When Total Control Premier is run for the first time on a computer, the New Computer Wizard runs, and prompts you to tell it what the computer’s role is. Click on Next, and you will be asked a series of questions about what the computer is going to do.
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Role |
Description |
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Job Controller |
The main Total Control Premier update and maintenance service, the Job Controller creates and sends updates to the POS Terminals, receives sales from the POS Terminals in real-time, and performs maintenance tasks on the database. A computer can be marked as a Job Controller but can then have individual sub roles set as required. |
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Report Controller |
This service is used to automate the report creation process, for example daily sales reports that are generated out of hours, or for reports which are emailed to users. |
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Update Service |
This service updates the Sales To Date information against products, and the frequency of these updates are set using an applet in Total Control Premier. |
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Stock Import |
This service imports stock transactions on a regular basis based on the setup configured in Total Control Premier. |
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Ext. Dir. Update |
Introduced in version 2.11, this service connects to an external directory such as Blakemore, updates Products from the catalogue and manages the Order and Delivery process |
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Cache Data for Cloud Reporting |
Introduced in version 2.11, this service caches data for quicker access to reports in the Cloud Edition of Total Control Premier. |
Server Roles
Unless otherwise discussed with Fidelity, it is recommended that the server handles all the Roles, except for the Job Processing Role as noted below. For installations with multiple sites, discussions should take place about configuring multiple servers or computers to share the workload of creating and communicating data.
Click on Finish to accept the configuration and close the New Computer Wizard.
If you wish to change the role(s) of the server in the future, you can run the Reconfigure Computer Wizard from the Tools menu in Total Control Premier.
Once Fidelity have completed the initial setup and configuration of Total Control Premier and the required POS Terminals, it is recommended that the Job Processing Role is disabled for all servers and computers. This role allows job data (Clerks, Products, Groups, etc) to be received from a POS Terminal and into the Total Control Premier database, potentially overwriting data that would be more up to date than that on the POS Terminal.
First Time Login
Once the Computer Wizard has finished, you will be prompted to log in to Total Control Premier. Enter the login details provided by Fidelity or your EPOS administrator, and then click on OK. You will be asked to set a Visual Theme, which is a colour and layout scheme that can be changed at any time, and then the main Total Control Premier window will be displayed.
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