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Dream Report License Introduction:To use Dream Report and all its options, a

Tech Note – Revised April 23, 2024

A valid license is needed . The license pricing is built depending on the license element(s) you need for your projects. In this document you will learn more about the license, its elements, functions and upgrades.A Dream Report License Includes:to run a Dream Report project.  Dream Report licenses are available either directly from Ocean Data Systems (ODS), your local Dream Report distributor, or through our OEM partners.  Licenses are available as software licenses (e.g., ODS-issued license.dat file), hardware licenses (USB dongle), or as activation codes issued by an OEM partner.

A license can be purchased as a Perpetual (non-expiring) license, or as an annual Subscription license.

Every Dream Report License Includes

• Dream Report Runtime for “x” number of tags
• 1 (or more, depending on the tag count) concurrent Web Client for the DRWeb Portal + (optional) additional Web Clients.
• Optional Add-On Modules.

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• 1 development client (can be used locally or for remote/concurrent development)
• SPC, Life Sciences and the DBatch modules

A Dream Report license gives access to both Development Studio and Runtime. Any number of reports can be created in a project, as long as the number of tags licensed is not exceeded.

Dashboards

The Dream Report Dashboards feature is available in all licenses, except the 50-tag license

Tags

A Tag is any external item/entity that Dream Report references in a reporting project:-

• Realtime HMI tag or PLC Register

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• Historical data from HMI Log files, Historians, or Proprietary Log files

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• “Open” data sources – values/columns from CSV files, Database Fields, etc.

A Dream Report license gives access to both Development Studio and Runtime. Any number of reports can be created, as long as the number of tags licensed is not exceeded. A Tag, exposed through a specific instance of a Communication Driver, is only counted once (even if used multiple times in different objects, and/or on multiple reports.)

If tags are dynamically added at runtime – e.g., through user tag selection on an ad hoc trend, or a SQL query such as Select * From…, where the number of columns returned (and hence, tags) is unknown, those tags will add to the “known” number of tags from Studio.  There is the possibility that the licensed tag count could be exceeded at runtime, with the result being that the license violation causes the project to shut down.  For more information, refer to the following FAQs:

FAQ 018: How can I determine the number of tags that have been used in a project or in a report?

FAQ 019: What will happen if a report or a project exceeds the licensed tag count?

Note: Alarms exposed through an a Historical Alarms data source are not counted as tags, so don’t do not count to towards the licensed tag count.

Web Portal Clients –

Web clients provide concurrent user access to DRWeb portal to access/generate reports and dashboards on-demand.  ( All Dream Report licenses include at least 1 web client.  Additional web clients can be purchased, which will add to the “main” license’s included web client(s).

Optional Add-On Modules – In addition to base license parameters, there are additional license options available, which will help maximizing use of Dream Report for specific needs and vertical markets:

• Life Sciences – Enables extra functions for Life Sciences industry, which are not available in a standard version. Enabled functions are: Electronic Signature, Audit Trail and F0 calculation.
• SPC - This license option enables extra functions, charts and tables for SPC calculations, which are not available in a standard version.
• MES - This license option enables unlimited SQL statements and includes 5 web concurrent clients.
• Remote (Multi-User) Development seats - This license option enables additional concurrent developer seat for a runtime server license. (Each standard license contains 1 developer seat included)
• DBATCH - The tool for electronic batch recording.
• BACnet license option - Enables BACnet native connector.
• Redundant (backup) license - A runtime license, which can be used on redundant/backup server only. It has 50% discount on all license options from a regular license price.

Partner licenses:Modules/Functionality

The following functionality can be added to any Dream Report license:

• Redundant license (priced at 50% of the main license cost) allows a project to run in a hot backup/redundant mode
• Remote/Concurrent Development clients – these will add to the 1 development seat included in every license
• MES Option – a license add-on specifically for “SQL query-heavy” applications. This allows for unlimited SQL queries in a Dream Report project – meaning, any columns returned from SQL queries are not counted toward the license tag count (without the MES Option, they would count as tags). Additionally, it adds 5 additional web clients to the license. 

Partner Licenses

Ocean Data Systems provides special licenses (SI Pack, or “SIP”) for partners and systems integrators.  This is a non-production license, intended for Dream Report project development, testing, product learning, testing, and demonstration and project development.The partner license has . This license includes 10,000 tags, 5 web clients, and SPC, Life Sciences and DBatch options, and is issued for one year. After license expiration, it can be extended for another next year, if the license holder is still a partner of Ocean Data Systems and is willing to renew the license.

A Partner license is a single-user license, and is supplied with a formal CD pack, on a USB license dongle, as a hardware license.

Support and maintenance:

With any license purchase it is recommended to buy a “Support and Maintenance contract” at 18% of the license price per year. It will grant an access to technical support of Ocean Data Systems by email/phone/fax and free upgrades to all new versions, which are released during valid maintenance period.

License upgrades:

Version Upgrade - If a license has no valid maintenance and support contract, the user can purchase just a new version upgrade. The version upgrade has a flat cost of 50% from the license priceall Dream Report communication drivers, and all functionality modules.  The SIP license is issued as a single USB (hard-key) license with a media pack, but can be requested as a soft license tied to a specific machine.  The SIP key is issued for one year, and can be renewed annually.

Maintenance and Support

A 1-year Maintenance and Support contract is required with the initial purchase of a Dream Report perpetual/permanent license. This entitles the user to direct access to Ocean Data Systems’ Technical Support by email/phone/remote access, and free license upgrades to new versions, released during the maintenance contract period.  Validity period is 1 year, and be renewed annually.

Subscription licenses do not require an additional Maintenance and Support contract to be purchased – all the benefits of the annual Maintenance and Support contract are included with the subscription.

License Upgrades

Version Upgrade

• If a license is on an active Maintenance and Support contract, you can request a no-cost version upgrade – simply email orders@dreamreport.com, and provide your license ID.
• If a license has not been kept on an active maintenance and support contract, a user can purchase a new version only upgrade. The version upgrade is priced at 50% of the current license cost. This option will grant a license version upgrade and will not grant license maintenance and support contract renewal. A new Maintenance and Support contract can be purchased at that time.

Functional Upgrade (Change of Scope Upgrade - Upgrade of license options, such as number of tags, number of web clients etc. is possible License Scope)

You can upgrade a license to a higher tag count at any time after license purchase. The price cost for such an upgrade will be calculated as a the price difference between of the cost of an old option and the cost of a new option, adding 10% for production costplus 10% of that difference as a processing fee. (Note - 10% Production cost – the 10% processing fee is not charged on 10000 10,000 tag and Unlimited tag licenses).

When an order for an upgrade has been placed, confirmed and invoiced, the orders Orders team will send an upgrade file with an “Upgrade Procedure” document, which must be followed to update the license.

Software and hardware licenses:Hardware Licenses

An Ocean Data Systems-issued Dream Report license can be delivered either as a software license, or a hardware license.

Software License - a software license is a file , which (license.dat) that is linked to specific hardware (HDD ID) on which the license is activated, and is supplied by email. To get  To receive the software license file, the user must use the “Activation Procedure” that is follow the “Activation Procedure” sent with every P.O. confirmation, and generate an “activation.dat” file on the computer the license will work onwhere Dream Report will run, and send it to activate@oceandatasys.com. Within 1 business day of receipt of the activation request, we will email back the permanent license file.

Hardware license – a Dream Report license can be supplied as a USB license dongle. This license will work on any computer , (with the appropriate version of Dream Report installed) where that USB license dongle is inserted into a USB port. If a red light on the USB is active, the license is recognized by the computer and Dream Report will be licensed. This license will be shipped in a CD media pack to the user by a carrier in a 3-5 working business days after the purchaseorder confirmation.

The USB key is connected to a “HASP driver” – a public driver with one limitation: when you are working in a terminal Terminal Services/RDP session, the key will protect itself and the license won’t be recognized. There are three ways to overcome this limitation – you can:

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1. Work in a Console mode, without using Remote Desktop

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1. Exchange the hardware license to a software license

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1. Set Runtime to run as a

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1. Windows Service

In the third option, the Studio will still open in a Trial “Trial” mode, as it can’t run as a service. But a project will be started in runtime as a service in a fully licensed mode. Please note that you might be limited in using some special features in DR Dream Report Studio, while working in Trial mode.

Hardware license seems If a hardware license (USB dongle) appears not to work?:

• Check if the USB is lit in a red light .on the USB key active
• Try to change the USB port in which the USB key is inserted into.
• Go to the Dream Report Runtime Management console Console and press “about click “About RMC”, as shown:

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You will see a window with the license description - for example:

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• If “Invalid” -

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• the license and Dream Report software versions are mismatched (license older than software version), and you will need

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• a newer license version.
• If “Expired” – the license is expired

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• . This could either be due to using a temporary/evaluation license, an SIP (partner) key, or are using a Subscription license that has expired. You will need to renew that license.
• If “Trial” – the license isn’t recognized by Dream Report.

For the first two options – please refer to the orders team (email address at the end of the document)contact your local Dream Report distributor, or the ODS Orders team at orders@dreamreport.com. As for the third – please contact the Support team at support@dreamreport.com.netAbout license compatibility:

License and Software Version Compatibility

All licenses have a are backward compatibility compatible with the older Dream Report studio versionsoftware versions. For example – a license for version 4.8 2023 will also work in Dream Report studio version 4.7, 4.6 2020 R2, 5.0, and older.  Also, if an SP (service packService Pack (SP) version is released to a major version, the license will continue to work with that version too. For example – a license for Dream Report 4.7 2020 R2 will work in Dream Report Studio version 4.7 SP2 (4.72)version 2020 R2 SP1, but not on version 4.8 and in version 2023 or later.

About license priority:License Priority

Dream Report has a priority for when searching for a valid license searching:

1. First, it will search for the a USB key license.
2. Then It Next, it will go to the \License\ folder, looking for the Dream report “license.dat” file.
3. Last, it will search for custom (OEM-issued) license type.

It is important to make sure that there is no expired or , old and unused license higher in priority than the one you need for your project – ie.eg., remove the an expired temporary license.dat file from c: \ods\dream report\license\ if using a valid OEM-issued license.

If No License is Installed

Dream Report will run for 30 minutes at a time in trial mode, with a project containing up to 100 tags.

License Replacement Policy

A software key may be reissued in the case of a hardware failure or replacement, under the following conditions:

• If the license is on an active Maintenance and Support contract (or valid annual license Subscription), we will allow a license to be replaced a single time during the contract year.
• If the license is not on an active Support contract, we will allow a one-time license replacement

In either scenario, if the old hardware is still operational, the Dream Report license must be removed from that machine.  Leaving it active on more than one machine is in violation of the software EULA.

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