Quick Reference

GMS installation Guide

A guide to help you install GMS and manage database connections.

CONTENTS
System Requirements

Microsoft SQL Server and SQL Server Express Resources

Downloading GMS

Installing GMS

Database selection on startup

Database Connections Management

Create a New Database Connection

Local and networked database configurations

SOI GMS Support

GMS Support: Email gmshelp@[Link] Tel 888 433 1869 resources..[Link]/gms

Updated November 16
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Minimum Hardware Requirements
Windows 7 and above, Intel i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB hard drive. You get much better
performance with a faster processor and 8GB RAM.

Minimum Ser ver Requirements

Most Programs are using NexusDB as their database server. Nexus is an open-source
database server with a database size limit of 2 GB. Once a database grows past 2 GB, users
will begin experiencing issues with performance, data management and possible data
corruption.
We highly recommend using Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft SQL Express for this upgrade.
This will provide a more stable, scalable DB server for this version and future upgrades. SQL
Express is free and supports a database size of up to 10 GB. SQL Server 2014 has costs, and
supports a database size up to 16 TB.

MICROSOFT SQL SERVER AND SQL SERVER EXPRESS RESOURCES

For more information about SQL Server Express:
[Link]
[Link]
This page lists the minimum and recommended requirements for SQL 2014:
[Link]

DOWNLOADING GMS
Special Olympics, Inc. (SOI) offers free GMS software licenses to all accredited Special
Olympics Programs and their users. Understanding that many GMS users are volunteers, SOI
distributes the software through each Program office.
Programs can request a download of the GMS software by emailing our GMS Support Team
at gmshelp@[Link]. They will be provided with a link to download and their
software registration key.

2 | GMS Support: Email gmshelp@[Link] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..[Link]/gms

GMS v7.2, and above, has a built-in feature that prompts users to download new versions as
they are released. This feature helps to 1) notify all users when there is an updated version
available, and 2) make it easy for users to upgrade.

INSTALLING GMS
GMS is distributed as a single executable (.exe) file. It does not use Windows Installer to install
the program onto your computer. The user determines where (location and folder) the GMS
executable file will be placed.
For a new install: Create a folder on your local drive (suggested name “GMS”). Place the
[Link] file in that folder.
If upgrading from a previous version: On your local drive, in the same folder you have GMS
installed, replace your existing [Link] file with the new, updated version.
IMPORTANT: Once you upgrade to GMS 7, you can no longer use previous versions of
GMS (v5.6 or 6) on your database.
For additional information on upgrading, please view our Guide to Updating GMS on
the GMS Learning Center ([Link]
If installing on a shared drive, terminal server/RDS: Make sure to place the [Link] in a
location accessible to all GMS users.

IMPORTANT: If installing the 64-bit version of GMS: If you are using the 64-bit version of
GMS 7, you need to have the [Link] file placed in the same folder location as the GMS
executable (.exe) file. This .dll file is included in the GMS download folder. The [Link] file is
the part of a 3rd party component used in GMS, called ImageEn. It is used for image handling
(scaling, cropping, editing etc.).

3 | GMS Support: Email gmshelp@[Link] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..[Link]/gms

Starting GMS:
Double click on the [Link]

On a new installation, GMS will

prompt the user to enter a
User name (optional),
Organization name, and GMS 7
serial number. Enter this
information as was provided to
you.

If upgrading from a previous version, the new .exe file

What is an INI file?
will reference the existing .ini file for the serial number
INI is a file extension (.ini) for an and your existing database connections.
initialization file format. INI files are
Once a registration key is entered, GMS will generate an INI
plain text and, in the case of GMS,
file located in the same folder as the EXE file.
used to set parameters for the
software. The INI file will store the registration key and related
information, as well as database connection information and
some system preference settings.

DATABASE SELECTION ON STARTUP

For a new install you will see a database
selection window like this:
Select “Tools” then “Setup database
connections”. This will open the Database
connections window.
In the next section we show you how to create
a database connection.

4 | GMS Support: Email gmshelp@[Link] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..[Link]/gms

If you already have database connection
information stored in your .ini, you will see a
database selection window similar to this:
On the “Connect to which database”
dropdown, select the database you wish to
connect to and then select “Connect”.
Some configurations bypass the database
connection window and connect directly to a
default database. In the next section we show
you how to set this up.

DATABASE CONNECTIONS MANAGEMENT

From the Database selection window select “Tools” and “Setup database connections” to
bring up the Database connections window.

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This is where you will manage all of your database connections.
You can also access this window from within GMS.
Client  Database Relationship
From the GMS Main Screen->Administrator tools-
>Database connections. Many people think that data is stored
within GMS itself. GMS is a client that
Existing databases will appear in the left column.
reads and writes data to a database.
Once you select that database, the database
connection settings will appear on the right. The database, either Nexus or SQL
based, is where the data is actually
On the bottom left, you can select your “Default
stored.
database at startup” and the checkbox for
“Automatically connect to this database when GMS 7 GMS, as a client, brings data to and
starts up” to bypass the Database selection window from the database so that the user
the next time you open GMS. can work with it.

CREATE A NEW DATABASE CONNECTION

In the Database connections window, select “Create new” on the upper left of the window.
Then select whether you are creating a “SQL Server” or a “Nexus” connection.

Nexus (local)

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 1.) Enter a “Connection name” and a “Nickname (optional)”.
2.) Change “Connection type” to “Work with local data files directly (only one user at a
time”.
3.) Click on the folder icon at the end of “Folder with data files” and direct GMS where to
build/store your Nexus database tables. Usually, this is the same folder where the
GMS .exe and .ini files are stored.
4.) You can add to the “Notice to show on-screen when this connection is used:” field to
have that text show in the GMS Main Screen as a reference.
5.) Select “Save” then “Close”, which will take you to the Database selection window.

SQL Server

1.) Enter a “Connection name” and a “Nickname (optional)”.

2.) Enter the “Server address”.
3.) Enter the “Database” name. Make sure it matches the name of the SQL database you
created.
4.) If you are using domain authentication, select the checkbox.

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 5.) If you are using server login ID and password verification, enter that information in the
“Default server login ID (optional)” and “Default server password (optional)” fields.
6.) You can add to the “Notice to show on-screen when this connection is used:” field to
have that text show in the GMS Main Screen as a reference.
7.) Selecting “Test this database connection” will test to see if you have setup the
connection correctly.
8.) Select “Save” then “Close”, which will take you to the Database selection window.

NOTE: SQL Server can be run as a local or a networked database. Both require that SQL
Server or SQL Server Express is installed on the local machine. The database connection
information requirement is the same for either SQL Server or SQL Server Express.

LOCAL AND NETWORKED DATABASE CONFIGURATIONS

The following are possible configurations for GMS and its database. For more information,
please contact the GMS Support Team.

Nexus or local SQL Server

instance

Data

GMS

Local (single desktop or laptop)

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 GMS

GMS
GMS

Server

Data

SQL Server instance

Central database, client direct

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 GMS
Data

SQL Server instance

Server

Central database, client (shared drive)

Best implemented on a Local Area Network (LAN)

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 Data

Server

SQL Server instance

GMS

Remote Desktop Server

Central database, terminal server or RDS

Best implemented on a Wide Area Network (WAN)

11 | GMS Support: Email gmshelp@[Link] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..[Link]/gms

SOI GMS SUPPORT

We’re here to help!

Email: gmshelp@[Link]
Phone: (888) 433-1869
GMS Learning Center: [Link]

Thank you!

12 | GMS Support: Email gmshelp@[Link] Tel 800 433 1869 resources..[Link]/gms