M↓ View as Markdown ↗

Licence

Availability

• Who can do this: installing or replacing the Licence is an operator task on the host or cluster. Viewing it in Settings → Usage needs Studio access.
• Deployment: Self-managed deployments only. On Actian SaaS, see Billing & Usage.

A self-managed deployment runs on a Licence: a file that Actian signs and sends you. The Licence sets what your deployment is entitled to, such as Seats, limits and features, and when that entitlement ends.

Install the Licence

The Licence is read once, when the server starts. After you add or replace it, restart the server.

Compose bundleHelm chart

The Compose bundle always runs with Licence checks turned on (ENTITLEMENT_BACKEND=licence).

1. Save the signed Licence as licence/licence.json in your installation directory (the directory that holds docker-compose.yml).
2. Optional: to use a different directory or file name, set LICENCE_DIR or LICENCE_FILE in .env.

3. Load the Licence into the server:

4. First start: run docker compose up -d --wait.

5. Licence already installed and the server already running: run docker compose restart server. docker compose up -d doesn't restart a running server when only the Licence file changed.

1. Create a Secret that holds the Licence under the key licence.json. The name ai-analyst-licence is an example; any name works:

   kubectl -n <NAMESPACE> create secret generic ai-analyst-licence \
     --from-file=licence.json=./licence.json
   

2. Reference the Secret in your values file:

   server:
     licence:
       existingSecret: ai-analyst-licence
   

3. Install or upgrade the release. The chart mounts the Secret at /etc/ai-analyst/licence on every server pod and sets ENTITLEMENT_BACKEND=licence, LICENCE_PATH=/etc/ai-analyst/licence/licence.json and LICENCE_PUBLIC_KEY_PATH=/etc/ai-analyst/licence/licence-public.pem.

Warning

The chart turns on Licence checks only when server.licence.existingSecret is set. The default is empty. Set it on every self-managed install.

Replace the Licence

When Actian sends you a renewed Licence:

• Compose bundle: replace licence/licence.json, then run docker compose restart server.
• Helm chart: update the Secret's licence.json key, then restart every server Deployment (for example with kubectl rollout restart).

Licence states

State	When	What members see
Active	Until the Licence end date.	Nothing special.
Grace	From the Licence end date until the end of the grace period.	AI Analyst keeps working. Studio shows an amber banner at the top of the page: Your licence ended on <date>. AI Analyst keeps working until <date>; renew the licence before then to avoid interruption.
Expired	After the grace period ends.	The server refuses product work for every organization on the deployment.

The grace banner appears only in Studio. Members who use only Explorer don't see it, so tell them about an upcoming expiry yourself.

After the Licence expires

The server keeps starting, and members can still sign in, load their session and switch organizations. Every other request for product work is refused with HTTP status 403, code licence_expired and the message The deployment's licence has expired. This includes pages that only read data.

You can still take your data out:

• Workspace export through the public API. The public API Workspace export keeps working for members after expiry. Importing, and the export and import history, are refused. The in-app Settings → Import / export page isn't reliable once the Licence has expired, so use the public API to take a Workspace out. See Export semantic layer and agents.
• Diagnostic export. On Air-gapped deployments only, members with the Manage organization capability can still produce a Diagnostic export for Actian.

To restore service, install a renewed Licence and restart the server.

See the Licence in the product

Open Settings → Usage (under Administration). On a Licence-based deployment, the page shows:

• Licensed to with the customer name from the Licence, and Licence ends followed by the date, for example Licence ends 3 March 2027.
• Under Usage, the numeric limits such as Seats and AI Analysts.
• Under Message usage by user, the Messages meter.
• Under Features, each feature as Included or Not included.

Troubleshooting

The server won't start and the log starts with LICENCE_PATH. The Licence is missing, unreadable, malformed or not signed by Actian. Check that the file is at the expected path (licence/licence.json with Compose, or the licence.json key in the Secret with Helm), and that nobody edited its values. If the file is intact, ask Actian for a fresh copy.

I replaced the Licence but Settings still shows the old end date. The server reads the Licence only at start. Restart the server.

Members can't add a connection of a certain type. Your Licence, the deployment's connector allowlist, or a missing JDBC bridge may restrict that connector. Check CONNECTORS_ENABLED and the JDBC bridge settings in Warehouse connectivity. If neither explains it, ask Actian whether your Licence restricts that connector.