Installing and Configuring the Java Development Kit

This topic illustrates how to install and configure the Java Development Kit (JDK) on a machine with a Microsoft Windows operating system, so that it can be used by MicroStrategy Web products. You should use a version of the JDK that is certified for the version of MicroStrategy Web that you are using. See Platform Certifications the for the certified/supported JDK versions.

For your convenience, the instructions below provide some general guidelines in instances where they may facilitate the installation and configuration process. However, depending on the version of the JDK that you install, these guidelines may or may not be precisely the same as those provided by the vendor. See the vendor's site for current instructions to download and install the software, as well as configure the necessary system variables.

Checking for an existing JDK on your machine

1. Determine whether the JDK is already installed on your machine and, if so, what version is installed. To do so, type the following at the command prompt:
   java -fullversion

   • If the JDK is already installed, the result of this command should be similar to the following:
     java full version "x.x.x_x-x"
   • If the JDK is not already installed, you will see a message like the following:
     'java' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

2. Depending on the results of the command, do one of the following: 

   • If an installation of the JDK is not detected, continue to Downloading and Installing the JDK. 

   • If an installation of the JDK is detected and the version is prior to the one that is currently supported, first uninstall the current version and then continue to Downloading and Installing the JDK. 

   • If an installation of the JDK is detected and the version is the one that is currently supported or later, continue to Configuring the JDK.

Downloading and installing the JDK

1. Go to the Oracle download site and follow the instructions for downloading and installing the appropriate version of JDK software certified by MicroStrategy. It is recommended to install the 32-bit JDK.

   This procedure is intended to provide general guidance on what you might need to do and do not replace the actual instructions provided on the official Sun Microsystems web site.

   When you go to the download site, you may be presented with a number of software options. These might include terms such as JRE (Java Runtime Environment), JDK (Java Developers Kit), and Java SDK (Java Software Developers Kit), as well as abbreviations such as SE (Standard Edition) and EE (Enterprise Edition). You must install a developers kit (which can be termed JDK or SDK), and not just a JRE. The developers kits actually include a JRE. It is not important whether you choose SE or EE, but you must download software for a Windows platform since these instructions are specifically for a Windows environment. 

2. As soon as you open the JDK executable file, the setup wizard opens. Follow the instructions in the wizard to install the software.

Configuring the JDK

1. Create a JAVA_HOME environment variable and set its value to the full path to the folder where you installed the JDK. For example, if the fully qualified path to your JDK executable file is C:\Java\jdkx.x.x_x\bin, the value of your JAVA_HOME variable would be C:\Java\jdkx.x.x_x.

   If you have installed the JDK under the Program Files folder, type Progra~1 in the value of your JAVA_HOME variable; otherwise the system will not recognize the folder. For example:C:\Progra~1\Java\jdkx.x.x_x.

Next step in deploying and configuring the Web Customization Editor is to install MicroStrategy Web and MicroStrategy SDK.