Installation Prerequisites

To install Yellowfin successfully, the following components should be ready. 

Hardware Requirements

To determine the minimum hardware specific requirements for your Yellowfin production environment based on the Yellowfin products you require, refer to the recommendations contained in the server specification section. The recommendations are for:

• Application Server: The Yellowfin application manages all of the functions of the Yellowfin environment. It is only necessary to install the Yellowfin application on a single computer that can be accessed by all Yellowfin users.
• Yellowfin database server: The Yellowfin application uses a database to store its configuration and operational information (including metadata, such as user permissions, report structure, data connections). This database is known as the Yellowfin Database. This is separate from any of the databases used as data sources for your Yellowfin reports, dashboards, etc.

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Yellowfin Database

As discussed above, the Yellowfin database is required to store application configuration and operational information. You can use one of the supported database platforms for this purpose.

Supported Database Types

The Yellowfin database can be hosted on one of the following database platforms:

Notes:

1. It is not necessary for the database server to reside on the same machine as the Yellowfin application.
2. However, if installing Yellowfin on a laptop or notebook computer for personal evaluation and/or training use, it is recommended that the database server hosting the Yellowfin database should also be installed on the same laptop/notebook.
3. Similarly, for shared evaluation and/or training environment, the database server hosting the Yellowfin database can be hosted on the same server as the Yellowfin application or on a different server.
4. Yellowfin ships with an embedded HSQL for testing. We do not recommend using this for production.
5. For a production Yellowfin environment, it is strongly recommended that the database server hosting the Yellowfin database is not on the same server as the Yellowfin application.

Database Drivers

Yellowfin 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

Database Server Information

If you plan to use one of the compatible database servers, except HSQLDB (Embedded - Not for Production), you will need some or all of the information below during the installation process:

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Yellowfin Client

All user actions for Yellowfin (e.g. system administration, creating content, consuming content, etc.) is done using an industry standard web browser. There are no client applications to install on the user's computer.

Supported Web Browsers

The Yellowfin application can be used on any of the following web browsers:

• Chrome
• Firefox 2+
• Microsoft Edge
• Opera 8+
• Safari 2+

Please note that Microsoft is phasing out support for its browser, Internet Explorer 11. As a result, Yellowfin software is no longer supported to run on IE11 and we can no longer guarantee that all Yellowfin features will be available should you choose to continue to use IE11.

Users who access Yellowfin via IE11 might be presented with a splash screen when Yellowfin starts up, warning users that the browser is out of date and no longer supported. Users can click on the Continue button to access Yellowfin, but full functionality will not be available. Users can  view existing content and create new Reports. To create or edit an existing dashboard, presentation or story, please upgrade to a modern, supported browser.

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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.

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License File

The Yellowfin application requires a licence key to enable the software. This license allows access to your purchased software plan.

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.

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Yellowfin Installer

Download the latest Yellowfin installer from here: https://portal.yellowfinbi.com/yf_latestbuild.jsp. You will be able to find installers for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Click on the Download Now button of the version you want. After downloading, copy the installer file to a temporary directory on the server onto which the application is to reside. The next topic shows what steps to take next.

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