Upgrading to a new version of the Pay & Bill software is not to be undertaken lightly.
Introduction
⚠️ Important: Read this document carefully before carrying out any of the steps detailed in this document.
We recommend that you install the new version as soon as possible after familiarising yourselves with the changes and performing your own testing. To check the installation files and that there's nothing in your environment that could compromise the installation process, it's imperative that you install it into your test system before attempting to update your live system.
To use our managed update service, please contact your Customer Success Manager or Account Manager.
📌 Note: If you have enhancements or fixes on your test system, they're included in this release and you need to sign them off prior to upgrading your live system.
Before you install
Ensure you've met the following prerequisites before performing this update. If you don't meet the below prerequisites prior to installing a release, we reserve the right to offer limited support for any problems that directly result from this action.
If you need support with this process, please contact us via the MyAccess portal and we can arrange for a managed upgrade.
A suitably qualified IT professional should perform the update.
Take a recent backup of the Access Pay & Bill application folder system and databases prior to performing the update.
Run the period close for the current payroll period and process any pay for the next period before you perform the upgrade.
Ensure all users exit Access Pay & Bill while the update's taking place.
To check this, click Help, then select Logged on Users.
Run the update from a PC that has access to the Access Pay & Bill application folder on the PAB server.
You need the correct permissions to modify the SQL database, so the SQL Server would be advisable.
Install your upgrade
To upgrade to the latest Access Pay & Bill version, you need to install the latest folder, and then update your database. To do this, please follow the steps below:
Install the latest version
📌 Note: When a new version is available, we send you a link to a zip file containing the Access Pay & Bill upgrade .exe and any required supplemental files.
Complete the installation prerequisites, above.
Extract the zip file to a local folder and execute via Windows Explorer.
Conduct a final check of users to ensure no one is logged in.
To check this, click Help, then select Logged on Users.
Begin the upgrade, click Next to go through the screens.
Select the destination folder of the Access Pay & Bill update.
You should have a location for your live application and a location for your test application.
Click Browse to search for and select the relevant folder.
Click Install.
The update is extracted to the folder you specified earlier.
You receive an update confirmation message, click Next.
Click Finish.
🤓 Tip: If you receive a warning that files are locked and cannot be updated, it's likely users are still logged in. Ask them to log out, then click Retry. The exception is the Tempest.ini file which you can set to read-only by default. Find this file in the relevant instance, live or test, remove the read-only flag, and then click Retry. Once complete, reset the read-only flag.
Upgrade the Access Pay & Bill database
To open the Access Pay & Bill application, click your updated shortcut.
Read the warning pop-up, then click Convert.
Select SQL Server Authentication.
Log in with system administration access to the Access Pay & Bill database.
Click OK.
If your database contains any errors you must review and resolve these; If you need to raise this in a new case, please output the result to a CSV file and then contact us via the MyAccess portal and send the file to us.
If you've enabled the STi database upgrade, you may be prompted to enter up to three passwords, depending on your configuration.
On completion, the updated function list, menu, and static data are automatically imported.
You're taken back to your normal login screen.