Hi,

We have an SBS 2008 that I have installed the BCM 2010 tool on successfully, I have then created a database and shared it with users, this seemed to work fine.

Then on the Win 7 Client machines running Office 2010 with BCM 2010 I can input the SERVERNAME/SQLEXPRESS,-1 as given in the text file results of the BCM 2010 tool but only to get the error message that the Server is found but there are no BCM databases on it?

I tested with the server firewall switched off but I don’t know how to find the problem, the instruction given by the BCM 2010 tool are very limited and as it’s so new there aren’t many posts anywhere.

Anyone know what I’m missing?

Cheers

Rich

Dear Rich,

 

Go to this link: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/troubleshoot-database-operations-in-business-contact-manager-for-outlook-HP010218669.aspx

Click I received a message stating that the database is unavailable.

 

Then, follow the instructions there to troubleshoot this issue.

 

Best Regards,

 

Sally Tang

 

Dear Sally,

I have the same problem with Rich and tried to use above link to troubleshoot but no help. 

SBS 2008 install SQL express 2005 but BCM install SQL express 2008. Is BCM 2010 database also works at SQL express 2005?

Any ways to put the BCM database into SBS 2008 for sharing to client computer? Can we install Outlook with BCM 2010 into SBS2010 for sharing the database?

Thanks & Regards,

Alan Wong

Hi Sally,

 

I tried those with no luck, I still get the error:

"The Computer SERVERNAME does not contain any shared Business Contact Manger databases. Please confirm that a shared Business Contact Manager database is stored on the computer"

I know there is a database stored and shared with the client computers that I am trying from, is there something I am missing? Also as the database is using the BCM tool and not Outlook most options available to me to try in the troubleshooting guide above do not apply.

 

Alan, search for the BCM 2010 database tool, this should help - if you can get it working!!!

Regards

Richard

 

Hi Richard,

 

Did you actually create the database on "SERVER" and share it out using the Sharing Wizard?

 

Sally Tang

 

Yes, the BCM 2010 tool is very simple with hardly any options i.e. install, create, share, add users

Are there any other possibility’s to try like turning the SBS 2008 firewall off? or do the client PC need to be set up in a particular way?

Also is there any way to test the shared database similar to say pinging an IP address but for databases?

Thanks in advance.
Richard

I was having the same problem. After several late nights I came across a 2008 article regarding BCM 2007 (http://wintivity.wigital.net/accounting/sql-database-remote-install-business-contact-manager-office-accounting-point-of-sale-domain/).

 

In the article, one of the steps spoke to the SQL Server Instance name. I quote . . .

 

“!!! IMPORTANT !!!  Choose to create a Named Instance. Provide MSSMLBIZ as the name for the Instance. Both Business Contact Manager (BCM) and Microsoft Office Accounting (MOA) look for the default INSTANCENAME=MSSMLBIZ … just to be “clear to everyone” instance name = MSSMLBIZ”

 

I changed my instance name to MSSMLBIZ and presto – I was able to connect.

 

I hope this tip helps others.

Bob C.

• Marked as answer by Sally Tang Thursday, June 24, 2010 9:05 AM

Bob thanks for your help I’m hoping this could be it!

However I don’t have an option to create a new instance I only have the ability to select either Microsoft##ssee or SBSmoitoring instances?

So I thought I would follow the above link to create a new instance, however this appears to require a re-install of sqlexpress and to be honest I’m getting a little bit out of my depth with this one, most people when trying to create a new instance through a re-install don’t even get the option to create so im quite put off!

Surly Microsoft wouldn’t make this process as complicated as I have found it to be, all I want to do is get BCM working and not have to play about with server instances etc?

Thanks

 

Rich

Bob:I tried what you have suggested and I still cannot get my Outlook 2010 to find the BCM db that I shared with the 2010 db tool.

 

Has anyone every solved this?

 

 

TIA

Bob:I tried what you have suggested and I still cannot get my Outlook 2010 to find the BCM db that I shared with the 2010 db tool.

 

Has anyone every solved this?

 

 

TIA

I fixed my problem

 

     If the service is running, see if its TCP protocol is enabled and correct TCP Port assigned. This is in the same configuration manager dialog, under SQL Server 2005 Network Configuration -> Protocols for InstanceName (By default MSSMLBIZ). If the instance’s TCP/IP protocol is ‘Disabled’, enable it. Right click on “TCP/IP”, select ‘Properties’ and go to tab ‘IP Addresses’, if the IPAll-> TCP Port is not set, set it to ‘5356’. Note that the SQL instance needs to be restarted after changing the setting.

• Proposed as answer by TheITCrowd Thursday, November 04, 2010 1:57 PM

Adding in this port worked for me.

I had attached the database to the instance "ScanMail" which was made by my Spam Scanning software by Trend Micro. I thought I had read that the BCM manager was supposed to configure ports and firewall rules, but maybe as this was an existing instance for a 3rd party product? I'm not sure...

I did not need to have an instance named "MSSMLBIZ" it worked just find as a database in the "ScanMail" instance, with the database name "BCM_2010".

I also needed to add in an exception for port 5356...

Thank you!!

This was a useful thread, but my solution was a little different. 

I'm running BCM in Outlook 2010 on two Windows 7 systems.  I set up the database to share on the host system but Outlook couldn't find any shared databases when I ran the wizard from the guest system:

"The Computer SERVERNAME does not contain any shared Business Contact Manger databases. Please confirm that a shared Business Contact Manager database is stored on the computer."

Which I knew wasn't true, because I had just set one up.

Turns out that I had to make the password for the user I created for the database sharing the same as the login password on the guest system.  The user name must also be the same as the user name on the guest system.  I suppose this goes without saying, except that Windows allows you to change your account name.  If you've done that, then your account name will be different from the user name for that account.  If you're not sure, go to C:\Users and the folder will bear the "real name" of the account, which must be the same as the account you created for the BCM sharing.

In the process of sorting this out I discovered that user accounts and passwords can be managed easily by running the user account control:

Type Windows R to get the Run command

Then enter "control userpasswords2"

I hope this helps someone.

LF

• Proposed as answer by Gonzalez21 Thursday, May 03, 2012 5:47 PM

Len Flier - Thanks for the solution.  Frustrating that the Microsoft help didn't get it right.

OK, my solution after trying several of the proposals here:

SQL Server Configuration Manager -> SQL Server Network Configuration -> select Protocols for MSSMLBIZ (or your instance) -> right click Named Pipes -> disable; right click TCP/IP -> disable. Restart MSSMLBIZ (I used task manager, services) Now enable Named Pipes and TCP/IP. Restart MSSMLBIZ.

Hope this helps,

 

Thanks, this is exactly what worked for me after about 3 hours of troubleshooting. I think MS makes this so hard to deter people from using BCM and buy one of their high end CRM programs.

 

@KenMcD

So what protocol did you have enabled in the end ? Shared Memory?

catchacold above has a completly different solution.

 

 

Ken, you are a badda$$.  I have been trying to get this working for days.  Tried your suggestion and it linked up right away.

Cheers!

Hi everyone; I was having the same issue as Catchacold, and the tcp/ip and port number corrected it. However my new issue is that after I access the shared database on the server, I can't see any of the contacts in the new database. 

Thanks for your help

Having just migrated from SBS2003 to Essentials Server 2012 (which went like a dream), I have been struggling for three days to move my BCM database to the new server. Like most of the people on this list, I kept getting: "The Computer SERVERNAME does not contain any shared Business Contact Manger databases. Please confirm that a shared Business Contact Manager database is stored on the computer." Having tried all of the above, with the exception of renaming the instance, I tried entering the Full Computer name of the new server, even though the shorter computer name worked perfectly well for accessing the instance of the database on the old server. Thankfully, this resolved the problem for me.

Thank you, thank you Catchacold!

I transferred BCM 2010 from SBS 2003 with SQL Express 2005, to Server 2012 Standard, SQL Express 2008 R2, and although the named instance appeared when I ran a utility to scan the network for SQL servers, I could not connected to the named instance from Business Contact Manager. After spending several nights of reading dozens of threads, enabling/disabling the firewall, adding inbound rules and performing sacrifices to pagan gods, what finally fixed this problem was enabling the TCP/IP protocol (which is disabled by default) within the SQL Server Network Configuration\Protocols for MSSMLBIZ. Changing the port setting from the default of 0 to 5356 or leaving it at 0 made no difference with the firewall enabled or disabled.

You are very much welcome. 

Great!!! thanks, worked for me :)

Hi All,

Went through this same nightmare as all the others here. Created a remote BCM database using the 2010 tool and when I tried to connect to it, no database was found.  I did everything that was mentioned on all of the posts. No good and a whole bunch more.

Submitted a ticket to Microsoft. While waiting for their initial callback....turned on the sql server AGENT for the database instance that I had create. Presto. It works.  Change the agent so that its no longer disabled but is automatic.

Try that.

Note: This is being written 5/13/2015

Layout:
Windows Server 2008 R2 (64bit of course)
SQL Server 2008 R2 Express - 64bit (hoping for 10GB database limit)
BCM 2013 Database Tool - 32bit

Procedure:
Install SQL Express on Server
Install BCM DB Tool on Server
Create Database using BCM DB Tool
Share Database using BCM Tool

Problem:
Client machines have error:
The computer [ServerName] does not contain any shared Business Contact Manger databases. Please confirm that a shared Business Contact Manager database is stored on the computer [ServerName]

I tried everything here, check TCP port, etc.
Solution / What fixed the problem for me was I only had to do one thing:
1. Start->Run->services.msc
2. Restart SQL Server (MSSMLBIZ)
3. Return to client machine and use [ServerName]\MSSMLBIZ
4. 2 seconds later, my named database appeared.

Hope this helps someone.

• Proposed as answer by Compsight 5 hours 1 minutes ago