Changes to Connection Storage in FME Form 2024

What has changed and why?

As of FME Form 2024.0, web and database connections now use stronger encryption methods for enhanced security. As a result of this change, the way FME Form stores and encrypts connections has also changed. 

Terminology has been changed to more clearly identify whether or not a connection is shared.

• Private connections are now referred to as Personal.
• Public connections and encryption key files are now referred to as Shared.

What are the differences?

All connections in FME Form 2023 were encrypted using an .fmeks key file (earlier versions used a .jceks file):

• Private connections used a private .fmeks key file. 
• Public connections used a public .fmeks key file and a shared connection path needed to be specified in FME Options under Default Paths. 

In FME Form 2024 and later:

• Personal (formerly private) connections use the operating system’s encryption functionality, so there is no key file to manage. It also means that personal connections are now encrypted per user and machine. Since there is no longer a keyfile, it cannot be obtained and used by other people to view personal connection information

• Shared (formerly public) connections still use a key file, but it is managed by FME Form.  Only a shared location for the key and connections needs to be specified, not the file itself. Personal connections added to the shared connections database are encrypted for the machine and user who added them - they are not encrypted using the shared key file.

What happens to the connections I created before upgrading to FME 2024?

The first time you open FME Form 2024, connections will be migrated from the old connections database to the new one and re-encrypted with the new method. The old connections database and .fmeks or .jceks key file (depending on the version of FME Form you are upgrading from) will remain so that earlier versions of FME Form can still access them. For example, if you have different versions of FME Form installed on the same machine. 

However, since FME Form 2024 uses a new connections database, new connections created in FME Form 2023 or earlier will not be visible in FME Form 2024 after the initial migration, unless you manually export and import them individually. 
 

What action do I need to take?

No action is required. Connections will be migrated for you as described above. If you encounter errors or issues, please see the Troubleshooting section.
 

What happens to my personal connections if I get a new machine?

Personal (formerly private) connections use the operating system’s encryption functionality and are now encrypted per user and machine. If you get a new machine, you have a few options: 

• Using FME Form, export the connections individually from your old machine and import them into the new one.
• In FME Options, set the connection Database Accessibility to Shared on both the old and new machine. On the old machine, check off any connections you want to share. The connections should be accessible from the new machine as long as both machines are pointing to the same folders for the connections database and key file. 
• Manually recreate the connections you need in FME Form on your new machine.

Troubleshooting

“After upgrading to FME Form 2024, it is crashing on startup or I’m receiving errors like ‘sql logic error’ when trying to view my connections. None of my connections are there.”

If you had used an earlier beta version of FME Form 2024, you may experience this issue. 

You can reattempt the connection migration using the steps below:

• Close FME Form
• Go to the location of your connections database
  • The default location for the personal connections database: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Safe Software\FME\fme_userconnection.data
  • If you are using a shared connections database, it will be in the location you specified in your earlier version of FME Form
• Rename the fme_userconnection.data file to preserve a backup. For example, fme_userconnection_backup.data
• If you are using a shared connections database, also rename the fme_sharedKey.fmekey file. For example, fme_sharedKey_backup.fmekey
• Reopen FME Form. If you can see your connections again without errors, then the migration has succeeded and you can delete the backup files you renamed.

If you are still experiencing issues, please submit a case with the following information:

• Are you using a personal or shared connections database?
• Screenshots of errors
• Description of steps to reproduce the errors
• Exact versions of FME Form, including the build numbers, that you have installed
• Any beta versions of FME Form, including the build numbers, that you previously had installed

“I was using a public (now shared) connections database in an earlier version of FME Form. After upgrading to FME Form 2024, I now get the error ‘Encryption key file not specified - Error migrating existing database’. None of my connections are there.”

The connections database migration will fail if the user does not have write access to the shared location. 

Have a user with write access open FME Form 2024. This should complete the connections migration. Then, users with only read access to the shared connections database should be able to view the migrated connections in FME Form 2024.
 

“I have multiple versions of FME Form installed on my computer. When I create connections in earlier versions of FME Form, they are not visible in FME Form 2024.”

Since FME Form 2024 uses a new connections database, new connections created in earlier versions of Form (formerly FME Desktop) will not be visible in FME Form 2024 after the initial migration that occurs post-installation. 

Either create the connection FME Form 2024 as well or export the connection from the earlier version of FME Form and import it into FME Form 2024.
 

“I was using a private (now personal) connections database across multiple different computers. After upgrading to FME Form 2024, I only see the connections on one of my machines.” 

This is a rare scenario that is not expected to impact many users. The first machine that you open FME Form 2024 will receive the migrated connections. The second will not.

Personal connections are now per user and machine. They are not shareable across machines. In FME 2023 and prior, connections were solely per user.

If you need to share connections with different machines, please use a shared connections database and enable 'Shared' on the connections you want to access across different machines. 


You can also export connections from one machine and import them to the other, if you prefer to continue using a personal connections database. Personal connections added to a shared connection database will only be visible on the machine from where they were created by the user who created them.