KB483026: Troubleshooting Your Workstation Installation

Starting with the release of Strategy ONE (March 2024), dossiers are also known as dashboards.

Troubleshooting Your Workstation Installation

Identifying the source and cause of a problem is the essential part of troubleshooting. For example, a problem that you're experiencing with a dossier in Workstation might ultimately be traced to a component such as the Intelligence Server or REST Server, rather than the Workstation application. This article covers troubleshooting for both Workstation Windows and macOS. Generally, when troubleshooting Workstation, we use log files to review the error message and Fiddler for Windows or Charles for Mac to track API calls.
Note that these troubleshooting steps also apply to troubleshooting Strategy Desktop 10.10 and later. 

General Workstation Checklist

Use this checklist to identify and eliminate any known issues.

• Ensure that the latest available hotfix or critical updates have been applied to the client and the Intelligence Server machine.
  
• For issues related to Workstation connecting to the Intelligence Server, ensure that the Workstation version is the same/or compatible with the Intelligence Server environment.
  Note: Workstation supports backward compatibility when connecting to any version of Strategy server. However, it is recommended to always connect Workstation to the same Intelligence Server version. That is, a Strategy 2021 Intelligence Server should be used to connect to Workstation 2021.
  
• Is the issue specific to Workstation Windows, Workstation Mac, or common to both?
  
• Check the Strategy Workstation README for system requirements and compatibility, certified and supported configurations (including operating systems, web browser, and export application), and known and resolved issues. See What's New.
  
• Search the Strategy Community using keywords of the issue for any useful knowledge base articles, discussion posts, ideas, and so on.
  

After you have eliminated all the above checklists as the root cause, proceed to the troubleshooting section below that applies to the customer’s issue.

Troubleshooting the Installation

To troubleshoot installation issues, we use the Workstation installation logs. The logs store relevant information, such as error messages, exceptions, and system/application issues and conflicts during installation. Engineers can use the tips below as a guide to troubleshooting an installation issue.

Installing Desktop and Workstation on the Same Machine (Windows)

When you attempt to install Workstation on a machine with an existing installation of Desktop (or the other way round), you will see the following error message:
 
Installation Failed
Strategy Workstation has been detected on this machine, which is incompatible with this version of Strategy Desktop. Please exit this installer program, manually remove the existing Strategy Workstation from Windows Control Panel, then re-launch this installer program to proceed.
 
Strategy doesn't support having Desktop and Workstation installed at the same time on Windows. To install one, you have to uninstall the other.
Related: How to Install MicroStrategy Workstation

Running the Installer from an Unextracted ZIP File (Windows)

When you run the Workstation EXE installer from within the downloaded ZIP file, you will see the following error message:
 
WorkstationSetup.exe - System Error
The code execution cannot proceed because node.dll was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix the problem.
 
Make sure that the downloaded file is unzipped and the installer is run from the unzipped folder.
 

Installing an Older Version of Workstation (Windows)

When you attempt to install a Workstation version older than the one currently installed, you will see the following error message:
 
Installation failed
A newer version of Strategy Workstation is already installed. Installation of this version cannot be completed. To configure or remove the existing version of the product, use the Add/Remove Program feature in the control panel.
 
Strategy doesn't support installing an older version over a newer, installed version.
To downgrade to a previous version, uninstall Workstation before installing another version.
To verify the latest version of Workstation installed on a machine, you can use the WorkstationSetupUi.log file.
 

Installing Workstation Using a Corrupted Installer

When you try to install Workstation using a corrupted installer, the installation will fail and you might see an error message.
Download a fresh install file from the MicroStrategy download site.
Optionally, you can check the MD5 checksum of the file.
Available at the download under Learn More > Additional Information.

Installing Workstation on an Unsupported OS Version

The lowest supported OS versions are:

• Microsoft Windows 8.1, all editions (64-bit)
• macOS 10.12 Sierra

You can check the detailed certified and supported OS versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux in the Readme.
See Platform Certifications for the current Strategy release.

.NET Error Message While Installing Workstation on an Older OS Version

The installation fails if there is a .NET framework compatibility error.
Manually download the .NET framework compatible with your OS version.
The minimum version needed to install Workstation is 4.6.2.
Related: Installing and Upgrading in the Readme for the current Strategy release.

There Is Not Enough Space on the Machine

The issue occurs when there is not enough disk space on the machine to install Desktop or Workstation.

• Check the StrategyWorkstationInstall.log file.
• For space requirements of Desktop and Workstation, see Clients  in the Readme for the current Strategy release.

Installing Workstation on a Machine with a Strategy Server (Windows)

Workstation can be installed on the Intelligence Server machine, but this is highly not recommended, as there are known usability issues because of having both products on the same machine.
Do not install Workstation and Intelligence Server on the same machine.
Related: Compatibility and Interoperability in the Readme for the current Strategy release.

Insufficient Privileges

Symptoms and error messages vary depending on your privileges. Commonly, the error message mentions missing .dll files (Windows), or the installer cannot locate or access a specific folder.
To install Workstation you need at least Admin-level privileges.
Related: How to Install MicroStrategy Workstation

Loading the Dossier Editor .dll Fails Due to Bad Installation

When loading the Dossier Editor, you might see the following error message:
 
Loading of the dossier editor .dll failed. Unfortunately, you will not be able to edit any dossiers until this issue is resolved.
 

1. Reboot your machine.
2. Delete the folder where Workstation was installed.
3. Perform a fresh installation again.

Uninstalling a Corrupted Installation

When you're trying to uninstall Workstation, you may be redirected to the "Install" dialog box, and see the following error message:
 
Installation failed
Installation terminated unexpectedly.
 

1. Reboot your machine.
2. Delete the folder where Workstation was installed.
3. Perform a fresh installation again.

Have other questions? Feel free to start a discussion or reach out to your Support liaison to open a case!
Interested in upgrading to Strategy 2021? Visit the Strategy website for more information!