TN 002: Dream Report Licensing

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Last updated: Apr 24, 2024
7 min read

Dream Report License Introduction

Tech Note – Revised April 23, 2024

A valid license is needed 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
  • 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
  • Historical data from HMI Log files, Historians, or Proprietary Log files
  • “Open” data sources – values/columns from CSV files, Database Fields, etc.

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 a Historical Alarms data source are not counted as tags, so do not count 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 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, and demonstration. This license includes 10,000 tags, 5 web clients, all 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 License Scope)

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


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


Software and 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 (license.dat) that is linked to specific hardware (HDD ID) on which the license is activated, and is supplied by email.  To receive the software license file, the user must follow the “Activation Procedure” sent with every P.O. confirmation, and generate an “activation.dat” file on the computer where 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 media pack to the user in 3-5 business days after the order confirmation.


The USB key is connected to a “HASP driver” – a public driver with one limitation: when you are working in a 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:

  1. Work in a Console mode, without using Remote Desktop
  2. Exchange the hardware license to a software license
  3. Set Runtime to run as a Windows Service

In the third option, the Studio will still open in a “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 Dream Report Studio, while working in Trial mode.

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

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


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

  • If “Invalid” - the license and Dream Report software versions are mismatched (license older than software version), and you will need a newer license version.
  • If “Expired” – the license is expired. 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 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.

 

License and Software Version Compatibility

All licenses are backward compatible with older Dream Report software versions. For example – a license for version 2023 will also work in Dream Report version 2020 R2, 5.0, and older.  Also, if Service Pack (SP) version is released to a major version, the license will continue to work with that version. For example – a license for Dream Report 2020 R2 will work in Dream Report version 2020 R2 SP1, but not in version 2023 or later.


About License Priority

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

  1. First, it will search for a USB key license.
  2. 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, old and unused license higher in priority than the one you need for your project – e.g., remove the an expired temporary license.dat file from \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.


For any license issues (quotes, orders, upgrades, delivery, etc.) please contact orders@dreamreport.com