Question

 What are the differences between the three installation options for BarTender?

Applicable To

BarTender 2019 and higher

Answer

After agreeing to the Terms and Conditions, you will be presented with a Specify advanced Installation options checkbox at the beginning of the installation. Checking it will allow you to select the type of installation you want. 

Installation Options

The following options are available:

• BarTender: This default installation option installs the full BarTender Suite of applications. This would most commonly be chosen when BarTender is installed on a standalone PC, a client installation, and any PC/Server where you intend to deploy integrations. This option includes the Licensing Service and Administration Console, so this option could still be used for a PC/Server that is going to act as the License Host.
• BarTender with Print Portal: This option also installs the full BarTender Suite, just like the above option. The only difference is that it also includes Print Portal. Print Portal is a web-based printing feature that is only available for Enterprise licenses. This option should be selected for a Server that will host the Print Portal site. 
• Licensing Service and Administration Console Only: This option would be chosen for a PC/Server that will host the BarTender license and won't have any other function for your BarTender system. Using this option will not install any of the other BarTender applications. 

Microsoft SQL Server Express

Below the install options is the Add Microsoft SQL Server Express checkbox. This lets you specify whether or not to install SQL Server 2014 Express. This is for the BarTender System Database. Depending on the type of license you have, you may decide that you do not need to install SQL. Unchecking this option will skip SQL during the BarTender installation. If you'd like to go back and install it later, you can do so from Administration Console. 

For more details on the SQL Server, check out the following article: 

• Is SQL Server required for BarTender 2019?

Additional Resources

If you would like to limit user access to specific applications that come with the BarTender Suite, you can do so through BarTender System Security.

If you would like to change your installation configuration, you can still make changes after the installation is complete. To do so

1. Go to Control Panel > Programs and Features
2. Right-click on BarTender
3. Choose Change. Then select Modify