What does the ICECommon database store? Why was it introduced?
The ICECommon Database stores information and system data that Kinetic uses as read-only throughout its applications. This database improves installation and upgrade performance, making more storage available across the platform. Kinetic creates one ICECommon database for each SQL Server instance and major version. Each Kinetic database automatically connects to the ICECommon database matching its version number.
Can I remove or rename the ICECommon database?
No, the ICECommon database must be available for Kinetic to run properly. Do not modify or delete it.
When was the ICECommon database introduced? What tables does it contain?
| Release | Table(s) Added | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2023.2 | Ice.FieldHelp |
Previously stored in XML files on the smart client. Now available to the browser clients. |
| 2024.1 | Ice.ICECommonVer, Ice.ReportStore |
Previously deployed to each SSRS database during deployments. Now only RDL files used will be uploaded to SSRS. |
Kinetic Development will add more read-only and shared data to this key database for each version, ensuring common data is consistent across all Kinetic installations.
Where is the ICECommon Database documented?
- The Kinetic Architecture Guide contains a chapter on the ICECommon Database since 2023.2.
- The Kinetic Help contains articles since 2024.1.
What’s the name of the ICECommon database for my release?
The ICECommon database name is suffixed by the ICE version, e.g., ICECommon_4.2.400. The equivalence between Kinetic and Ice versions is covered in KB0119789, Comparing Versions of Kinetic/ERP, UX Platform, Ice Framework, and .NET.
How to create or recreate it?
If you run a Cloud environment:
- It installs with Kinetic and automatically upgrades with each Kinetic release.
- The installation or upgrade process creates/updates this database in the background.
If you run an on-premise environment:
-
You must manually upgrade this database using the Epicor Administration Console (EAC) or the Database Migration tool (command-line tool).
-
It will also be created if the ICECommon database is missing when a new or demo database is created via the Epicor Administration Console (EAC).
You can use this feature if you have no ICECommon database (or it was somehow deleted):
- Open the EAC to Database Server Management > [server name].
- Select Add New Database from the Actions menu.
- Enter a temporary name (e.g., “TempEmptyDb”).
- Complete the creation process.
- Check that the
ICECommon...database was created. - Delete the temporary database.
What happens during upgrades?
When upgrading, the common database will also be upgraded, but the old one will remain. When customers install a test database at that new level or upgrade their pilot environment, the database will be created and updated. But when they upgrade their live environment, they’ll just use the one there. This means that whatever data is in the common database is no longer needed as part of the DB upgrade process, saving time in this critical step of system downtime.