Introduction
Tutorials
Improving a discharge simulation
This describes how to upgrade WellSim to a newer version. It is important that the IT department use this section of the help guide develop a protocol for upgrading WellSim, and the subsequent upgrades of databases.
We regularly upgrade WellSim to provide new features and fix bugs, and email you about each release. We recommend that you upgrade your WellSim each time a new version is released.
Note that during an upgrade, WellSim's preferences, your key registration and the dongle operation are not affected.
A WellSim database can be Microsoft Access or Microsoft SQL server. The procedure below is for:
which is the most common case. If you have any SQL server databases or have databases installed on a network computer, contact GSDS for upgrade instructions.
Part 1 - Prepare for the upgrade:
Find if you need to upgrade your databases: As you install your WellSim upgrade, you might need to upgrade your databases to a new version as well. Our email will tell you if you need to do this, or you can find out here.
You will use the Access test database that you created earlier during installation.
Part 2 - Install WellSim and test an Access database:
Normally you don't need uninstall the previous version of WellSim. However, if we have notified you to uninstall it, do so with the Windows control panel > Programs and Features.
Go to the Download page, and download the latest version of WellSim, GSDS_wellsim_n_n_n_n.msi.
If you have WellSim installed on more than one computer, put GSDS_wellsim_n_n_n_n.msi on a USB stick to simplify installation.
Install WellSim: run the downloaded program, GSDS_wellsim_n_n_n_n.msi.
Start WellSim. WellSim shows the Database Manager window. If necessary, use Add DB to connect to the Access test database (see above). For the description (name), enter Access test DB.
In the Database Manager window, double-click Access test DB to open it.
If you need to upgrade your databases, WellSim asks if you want to upgrade: click OK. If upgrading gives an error, stop now and contact GSDS.
Briefly test that WellSim works properly:
Run a few basic tests, for example select different data sets, run a new output simulation, display a multiple graph.
To see new features in the new version of WellSim, click Help, click About WellSim and click the tab Change Log. Briefly check some of the new features.
Note: If IT personnel are not familiar with WellSim then a competent WellSim user should run these tests. These tests are to confirm there are no fundamental problems, such as with the operating system or database setup. More extensive testing is not required – if errors exist, they are likely to be in fairly obscure parts of the program, and may not be found in any reasonable testing.
Part 3 - If you need to upgrade your databases, upgrade your main databases now now:
In the Database Manager window double-click each database in turn and click OK to do the upgrade. If any of the database upgrades fail, this is likely be a database problem (e.g. index keys lost, duplicate data, size issues), not a program problem; stop now and contact GSDS.
Note Upgrading your databases to a new version will always create a new sample database atlantis.mdb, called sample database in WellSim's database manager. Any existing sample database will be removed from the database manager window and will be renamed from sample.mdb to sample_Vnn_yyymmdd.mdb (nn is the database version). Both databases are stored in your application data, not your program files. If you want to continue to use that existing sample database, add it to the database manager window after you have finished the upgrade.
Part 4 - If you have WellSim installed on more than one PC, install WellSim on each PC:
Normally you don't need uninstall the previous version of WellSim. However, if we have notified you to uninstall it, do so with the Windows control panel > Programs and Features.
Install WellSim: run GSDS_wellsim_n_n_n_n.msi.
If you need to upgrade your databases, and if users have private test or demo databases on their user computer, open each in WellSim and WellSim will upgrade them.
Part 5 - Finally:
If you skip installing a few new versions of WellSim and then install the latest version:
WellSim will always install and run properly because it is a full, not an incremental, install. Any databases it creates will be the latest version.
If your current database version is the same as, or one less than, the database version of the latest version of WellSim, then the latest version of WellSim will automatically upgrade your databases to the latest version.
If your current version of WellSim less than a year old, then the latest version of WellSim should automatically upgrade your databases to the latest version (even if your current database version is several numbers below the database version of the latest version of WellSim).
If your current version of WellSim is several years old, then the latest version of WellSim probably can't upgrade your databases to the latest version (because the database structure has changed too much).
Note: You can download and install earlier versions of WellSim from the GSDS web site, but you should never run a version of WellSim whose database version is earlier (lower) than your database version.
Between upgrades, the versions of all your databases are normally the same, and correct for the version of WellSim that you are running. However, a database version could be earlier (lower) than the rest:
If you have not opened that database in your latest version of WellSim.
If you have earlier removed that database from WellSim and have recently added it again.
In this case, open that lower-version database in WellSim and it should automatically upgrade the database to the correct, new version, as discussed above.
The program and database version numbers are different. This section tells you how to find these version numbers.
Each release of WellSim has a version number, of the form n.y.mm.dd, where:
| Letter | Means |
|---|---|
| n | A major release number, eg 5 |
| y | Related to the year it was released; 9 means 2014 |
| mm | The number of the month it was released; 8 means August |
| dd | The day of the month it was released; 21 means the 21st |
To find the version of WellSim that you have:
Either, in WellSim, click Help, then click About WellSim ...; the version is displayed in the About tab, for example Version 5.4.8.21.
Or, look at the WellSim file name you downloaded from the GSDS website, for example aaaaaaaaaaaa_5_4_8_21.msi. The last 4 digits are the version number.
Each of your WellSim databases has a version, a number, for example 31, that reflects the structure of the database:
When you create a new database in WellSim it automatically gives the database the right version number.
Sometimes WellSim upgrades have new features that require a different database structure. When you run the new version of WellSim, it will automatically upgrade your databases to the new version.
To find the version of one of your databases: In WellSim, click File, click Database Manager to open the Database Manager window, then click Version.
You see the versions down the right.
To find the newest available version of WellSim and the version of its database:
Click Help, then click Check latest version ....
WellSim connects to the internet and displays a page:
Latest version is the latest version of WellSim available, for example Version 5.4.8.21
Database (DB) version is the database version used by the latest version of WellSim, for example 31.
If Database version is higher than version of your databases then if you upgrade to this version of WellSim then WellSim will automatically upgrade your databases.