Microsoft SQL Server Requirements

You can use Microsoft SQL Server as the vault database engine. Refer to our lifecycle policy for information about the supported versions. These editions are supported: Microsoft SQL Server Express, Standard, and Enterprise. Refer to Microsoft documentation to make sure that your Microsoft SQL Server edition has the necessary features and capabilities for your environment. M-Files supports the use of Microsoft SQL Server on Microsoft Windows.

With a cloud-based M-Files environment that you manage yourself, you can also use Microsoft Azure SQL Database Managed Instance as the vault database engine.

Important information

Please take note of these details before you set up Microsoft SQL Server:

  • Some editions of Microsoft SQL Server can have a hard limit for the size of a database. If all the space of the database is used, the vault can become unusable.
    • For example, if you use the Express edition, it is extremely important to make sure that the database space is never completely used. This can cause that it is no longer possible to log in to the vault with any login account.
  • Do not use performance tuning advisor tools for M-Files vault databases or create additional indices or statistics. This can slow down the system and cause a vault to be unusable during an update.
  • We recommend M-Files Server and Microsoft SQL Server to be used in the same subnetwork to reduce latency.

Enabling Microsoft SQL Server features

Enable the features given here to use Microsoft SQL Server as the M-Files database engine.

Instance features:

  • Database Engine Services
  • Reporting Services, Native Mode (if reporting is used)

Shared features:

  • Management Tools, Basic
  • Management Tools, Complete (if reporting is used)

Loading the Microsoft SQL Server assembly (M-Files February '23 Update and earlier)

M-Files February '23 Update and earlier versions use an SQL server assembly that must be used in the SQL server instance. Usually, M-Files loads this assembly to the SQL server instance automatically. However, it can be necessary to manually allow the use of the assembly, if, for example, M-Files does not have the necessary permissions in the SQL server instance. For instructions, refer to the support article M-Files and SQL Server 2017 compatibility). If the SQL server assembly is updated, you must repeat the process.