Prepare and provision test and production environments, including the necessary SQL instances.

Two separate environments will be required for the successful implementation of QEST Platform products. A test environment will be used for testing new releases and features of the software as these become available before being promoted to the production environment. Refer to the technical overview or product architecture diagrams for more information on the necessary infrastructure.

Restore prepared QEST Platform Database

A configured database will be provided for new QEST Platform installations. This database will need to be restored on the appropriate SQL Instance.

Select model for user access to database

User access to the QEST Platform database can be controlled by membership in an Active Directory group or SQL Authentication if a File DSN is used. A choice should be made with regard to the desired model.

Register Microsoft Entra ID application if utilizing Microsoft Entra ID for authentication.

If Microsoft Entra ID is to be used for authentication (i.e. if multi-factor authentication is to be used), an application must be registered within the appropriate Entra ID instance for this purpose according to Microsoft Entra ID Application Registration.

Configure user Mapping between QEST Platform and Microsoft Entra ID

If Microsoft Entra ID is to be used for authentication (i.e. if multi-factor authentication is to be used), users must be mapped between the two products. Spectra QEST has developed PowerShell scripts which can be scheduled to run periodically in order to achieve this.

The work required is discussed in Mapping QEST Platform Users to Microsoft Entra ID Users

Verify user database access

Verify access with the chosen model above.

Obtain and configure SSL Certificate for desired QESTField URL(s)

If the URLs for any of the QEST Web App or QESTField products are to be accessible externally, appropriate SSL certificates must be obtained for the desired URLs.

Create QESTNet service account

A service account that the QESTNet Windows service will run under. Requires db_owner rights to the QEST Platform database and the Hive Publish database (if Construction Hive publishing is being used). 

HTTP URL ACL configuration

The QESTNet service account needs to be able to listen on the QESTNet API address

Install QESTNet Configuration Key File

This key file must be installed on the server running the QESTNet Windows service. This step is necessary whenever the QESTNet service is installed on a new server or when push notifications are first introduced into an existing implementation.

Provide access to QESTNet Key to QESTNet service account

The service account running the QESTNet service requires access to the key file. This step is necessary whenever the QESTNet service is installed on a new server or the service account running the QESTNet service is changed.

Restore Hive Publish database

A configured HivePublish database will be provided for organizations utilizing Construction Hive publishing. This needs to be restored alongside the QEST Platform database.

Create Construction Hive service account

A service account that the Construction Hive service will run under. Requires db_owner rights to the the Hive Publish database (if Construction Hive publishing is being used). This account can be the same as the QESTNet service account.