Overview
Yellowfin is available for deployment on servers and on all major cloud environments. A variety of installation options exist to suit each environment.
You have probably already decided which environment you wish to deploy on, so we’ll skip the descriptions of the different cloud platforms and server choices and provide more details about Yellowfin deployments on each of those platforms.
In this section of the wiki, we’ll cover best practice for deploying Yellowfin to many of these environments.
Yellowfin formats for different deployments
The following table describes each type of Yellowfin offering and the situations it’s best suited to, such as proof of concept (POC) or production.
Yellowfin format | Quick description | Best used for... |
|---|---|---|
Yellowfin Application Installer | A traditional installation file, with options to install on Linux, Windows and MacOS. | Long-term instances on servers or in the cloud in non-containerized environments. |
Yellowfin All-In-One image | Pre-built image of Yellowfin software with a PostgreSQL database included, ready for container deployment. | Short-term instances (POCs or demos). Use if you don’t need to customize the Yellowfin defaults (apart from memory, which is configurable).
|
Yellowfin All-In-One Docker file | A file to build your own image of Yellowfin software with a PostgreSQL database included, ready for container deployment.
| Short-term instances (POCs or demos). Use if you need to customize the Yellowfin defaults (apart from memory), or if you would like to customize any CSS, JavaScript, libraries or drivers. |
Yellowfin App-Only image | Pre-built image of Yellowfin software, ready for container deployment.
| Long-term instances in a container environment. Use if you don’t need to customize CSS, JavaScript, libraries or drivers, but would like to customize your Yellowfin defaults. |
Yellowfin App-Only Docker file | A file to build your own image of Yellowfin software, ready for container deployment. | Long-term instances in a container environment that enable configuration of a variety of default environment variables, CSS, JavaScript, libraries and drivers. |
Yellowfin mobile app | End-user app available for iPhone and Android. | End-users accessing Yellowfin content. |
Component comparison
If you’re still not sure which Yellowfin offering to choose for your deployment, the table below lists the components of each Yellowfin format.
| Yellowfin format | Database included? | Environment configuration options | Clustered environment? | Available environments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Yellowfin Application installer | HSQL (not recommended for use beyond evaluation phase) | Variety of system options, CSS, JS, libraries, drivers | Yes | Containerized and non-containerized |
All-In-One image | PostgreSQL | System memory only | No | Containerized |
All-In-One Docker file | PostgreSQL | System memory (with the option to add CSS, JS, libraries and drivers) | No | Containerized |
App-Only image | None | Variety of system options only | Yes | Containerized |
App-Only Docker file | None | Variety of system options (with the option to add CSS, JS, libraries and drivers) | Yes | Containerized |
Pre-installation preparation and requirements
To avoid any surprises during installation, we recommend you read the following sections thoroughly to ensure your deployment environment is set up to contain any supporting software and hardware requirements.
Every Yellowfin deployment is made of two components.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Application server | This manages all of the functions of the Yellowfin environment. It can exist on a single computer for all Yellowfin users to access. |
| Yellowfin database server | This contains the configuration and operational information (such as user permissions, data connections and system setup). It does not store front-end data that a user might access (such as dashboards or data sets). |
Hardware
The hardware requirements for two different Yellowfin deployments can be vastly different due to factors such as the number of concurrent users and data processing requirements. Please see the server specification section for detailed information on hardware minimums and recommendations.
Yellowfin database server options
As discussed above, the Yellowfin database server is the backend database used solely for storing application configuration and operational information. The following databases can be used:
AS/400 DB2
MySQL
CacheDB
Oracle
DB2
PostgreSQL
HSQLDB (Embedded - Not for Production)
Progress OpenEdge
Ingres
Sybase ASE
Microsoft SQL Server
Sybase SQL Anywhere/IQ
Microsoft SQL Server Azure
TiDB (Beta)
Database location by deployment types
| Deployment type | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Testing with embedded HSQL | Use this embedded database for testing purposes only. We do not recommend using the embedded HSQL for production. |
| Production | Host the Yellowfin database on a separate server to the Yellowfin application. |
| Shared evaluation | Choose whether to host the the Yellowfin database and the Yellowfin application on the same or separate servers based on your evaluation needs. |
| Personal evaluation (eg on a laptop) | Host both the Yellowfin database and the Yellowfin application on the same system. |
Database drivers
Yellowfin for on-premises and containerized environments does not ship with all the supported database drivers. If your selected database is one that isn’t packaged with the installer, then you must download a valid driver, before you begin the installation process. You can download the JDBC driver (jar file) from your preferred database provider's website. Following database drivers are not bundled with the Yellowfin installer.
- AS/400 DB2
- CacheDB
- DB2
- Ingres
- Sybase SQL Anywhere/IQ
- Oracle
- MySQL
- TiDB
If you're deploying Yellowfin within a cloud environment, check the database options available on your environment as they may already be pre-installed.
Database server information during installation
If you're using any database apart from the embedded HSQL DB (for non-production deployments only), Yellowfin will prompt you to enter:
- a database server type (eg, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, etc);
- a database server host address (IP address or server name); and,
- a database server port number (eg, 3306 for the default MySQL config).
In addition, to install the Yellowfin database into a new, empty database, Yellowfin will prompt you to enter:
- a database name (eg, yellowfin);
- a database admin username and password (required for the creation of the new database); and,
- a database user-level username and password (this user will have full read and write access to the new Yellowfin database and can be the same username as the admin username if preferred);
If you're deploying Yellowfin within a cloud environment, you may not be prompted for this information if the database is pre-installed.
Additional software
Java Runtime Environment
The computer running the Yellowfin application must have a minimum of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) version 1.8 or later installed, along with JavaFX.
Download the Java installers and installation instructions from https://www.java.com.
For detailed instructions on installing Java, see their instructions here.
If you already have Java installed and need to add JavaFX, take a look at our community article here.
License File
Yellowfin application requires a licence key to run. This license allows access to your purchased software plan (see our website for full details).
You will receive a license file that uses the computer's host name. This will be delivered to you as a .LIC file. Download and save this file on your computer; you will need the location and name of this license key during the installation process.
Note: Existing Yellowfin customers who have not received a license email should contact their account manager or representative for a new license.
Trial License
New customers can download a license from our website for a free trial. Click here to get started.
Clustered deployments using Docker containers
For a clustered deployment of Yellowfin in any containerized environment using Docker containers, we recommend a Yellowfin Wildcard license alongside a hostname that has a static prefix present to cover multiple containers.
For example, in a Docker Swarm Stack file, under the Yellowfin service specification, the “hostname” attribute can be set to “yellowfin-{{.Task.Slot}}", which will provide a unique hostname for each container in that Yellowfin deployment, and can be covered by a Yellowfin Wildcard License that has “yellowfin-*” as the licensed hostname.
To obtain a wildcard license, please contact your Yellowfin account manager or get in touch.
Download the Yellowfin installer
On-premises deployments
For on-premises deployments for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux, download the latest Yellowfin installer file from here: https://portal.yellowfinbi.com/yf_latestbuild.jsp. 
Click on the Download Now button for the version you want. After downloading, copy the installer file to a temporary directory on the target application server. You're now ready to follow the Yellowfin software Installation Steps.
Cloud deployments
Some cloud environments have Yellowfin pre-installed. To see some available options, take a look at our Install in the Cloud section.
Container deployments
A variety of container installers exist. For more information, take a look at our Install in a Container section.
Section navigation
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