Installation Guide - Windows on-prem installation

(Last updated: 2025-09-09, Created: 2025.07.02)

Prerequisites

• Install Microsoft SQL Server ODBC Driver 18: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/connect/odbc/download-odbc-driver-for-sql-server
• Might need to install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable in order to install Microsoft SQL Server ODBC Driver: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist
• The Bliksund Analytics Data Processing artifacts are downloaded for deployment

Installation

1. If you already have a Analytics API service running, make sure to stop this by following Stopping the service.

2. Store the exe-file that you downloaded at the place where you want the installation to take place.

3. Set the Path of the folder where the exe-file is stored as a system variable named BLIKSUND_ANALYTICS_API_INITIAL_PATH. This will be the path to the log folder and to the .env file mentioned later

4. Open a terminal (for example powershell) in administrator mode.

5. Navigate to the folder where the exe-file is stored:

   cd <PATH_TO_EXE_FILE>

6. Add and update needed configurations

   Create a file named .env in the same folder as the exe-file using New-Item -Path ".env" -ItemType File and add the following infromation to it:

   LOGGING__LEVEL=INFO
   LOGGING__SENTRY__ENABLED=False #Not used for on-prem
   LOGGING__SENTRY__DSN="" #Not used for on-prem
   
   APP__ROOT_PATH=/main/analytics #Do not change
   
   AUTHENTICATION__API_KEY= #Select your own API key
   AUTHENTICATION__API_KEY_HEADER=BLIKSUND-X-API-KEY
   
   # Database connection details (Analytics database)
   DATABASE__TYPE=mssql
   DATABASE__USERNAME=
   DATABASE__PASSWORD=
   DATABASE__HOST=
   DATABASE__PORT=1433
   DATABASE__NAME=
   DATABASE__SCHEMAS__EWA_GOLD_LAYER=ewa_core

7. Install the service:

   .\analytics_service.exe install

8. Start the service:

   .\analytics_service.exe start

   Note: A log folder (Logging) will be created and placed at the same location as the .exe file during the installation

Configuration options

The service can be configured with the following options. The API listens on 127.0.0.1:9090.

Setting Name	Description	default value
AUTHENTICATION__API_KEY	The API key clients must send	(empty)
AUTHENTICATION__API_KEY_HEADER	Name of the header that carries the API key	(empty)
DATABASE__TYPE	Type of target database	(empty)
DATABASE__USERNAME	Username for target database	(empty)
DATABASE__PASSWORD	Password for target database	(empty)
DATABASE__HOST	Host for target database	(empty)
DATABASE__PORT	Port for target database	(empty)
DATABASE__NAME	Name of target database	(empty)

Logging

Logs are placed under logs/analytics_api.log and logs/analytics_api_requests.log, and if you run it as a Windows service, the log file will be placed in the same folder as analytics_service.exe.

Stopping the service

Follow this guide if you want to stop an already running service

1. Open a terminal (for example powershell) in administrator mode

2. Navigate to the folder where the old exe-file is stored:

   cd <PATH_TO_EXE_FILE>

3. Stop the service:

   .\analytics_service.exe stop