Configuring Neo4j server

Configuring Neo4j server:

Yes, there are plenty of tutorials for setting up Neo4j already, but I wanted to focus on a few settings that makes it easier to use it with data integration.

This tutorial will focus on Neo4j server for windows.  It is NOT very complicated, and you'll be up and running in no time flat:

What you need to before you begin

System Requirements: Windows PC or server JAVA (OpenJDK/Oracle/IBM Java) 8 or greater Neo4j Server or Desktop Edition.For these instructions I used the community edition which you can download from https://neo4j.com/download-center/#community

1. Extract the archive into the folder you want to be your installation folder
2. Use an editor to modify /conf/neo4j.conf

   Setting	Action	Description
   #dbms.directories.import=import	Comment out	allows custom imports on-demand
   apoc.import.file.enabled=true	add	Allow APOC file imports
   #dbms.memory.heap.initial_size=5g #dbms.memory.heap.max_size=5g #dbms.memory.pagecache.size=7g	customize memory	Memory configuration will depend on how large your graphDB will become.  Here's a good primer:  https://neo4j.com/docs/operations-manual/current/tools/neo4j-admin-memrec/
   dbms.connectors.default_listen_address=0.0.0.0	uncomment	Allows non-local connections

3. Configure Plugins:
   

   Plugin	Description	Download URL	Notes
   APOC library	Don't ask, just install it.  No really!  You want this.	https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-apoc-procedures/releases/	Install binary .jar into /plugins folder
   MSSQL JDBC	Add this if you need to connect to MS SQL	https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2137600	Extract mssql-jdbc-7.x.x.jre8.jar into /plugins folder
   Excel (multiple file formats)	To support import from these formats download the dependencies	https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/poi/poi/4.1.2/poi-4.1.2.jar https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/poi/poi-ooxml/4.1.2/poi-ooxml-4.1.2.jar https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/poi/poi-ooxml-schemas/4.1.2/poi-ooxml-schemas-4.1.2.jar https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/org/apache/xmlbeans/xmlbeans/3.1.0/xmlbeans-3.1.0.jar https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/com/github/virtuald/curvesapi/1.06/curvesapi-1.06.jar	Place these .jar files into the /plugins folder
   Advantage Database	To connect to Advantage (sybase) SQL  via JDBC	http://devzone.advantagedatabase.com/dz/content.aspx?Key=20&Release=19&Product=12	This is to support the CRM I use (CommitCRM)

4. Configure Windows Service
   Neo4j should be configured to run as a Windows service. Launch a command shell, and install the service from within the /bin folder
   
   
   neo4j install-service
   
   
   If you are upgrading from an older version, you will need to first unregister the service for the old version:
   neo4j uninstall-service
     
5. Set Initial Password
   neo4j-admin set-initial-password mysupersecretpassword
   
   
6. Start the service
   sc start neo4j
   (or use the service control panel)
   
   
   That's it!  You should be ready to go with a neo4j server that's ready to connect to SQL Server, import from CSV/XLS files, and you will have the APOC library plugins at your disposal!