Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Sentinel Visualizer

What is Sentinel Visualizer?

Sentinel Visualizer is a Windows-based program that provides data visualization, analysis and knowledgebase management all within one product. Sentinel Visualizer produces interactive dynamic link charts, timeline and geospatial views, and provides a variety of analysis tools including Social Network Analysis, temporal analysis and entity and relationship weighting. Sentinel Visualizer includes a multi-user knowledgebase for efficiently and economically storing analysis data.

Sentinel Visualizer Overview

Is My Data Secure?

Secure and Private: We Never See or Touch Your Data

The Windows version of Sentinel Visualizer runs on your PC and hardware, not ours. It can be completely disconnected from the Internet.

SQL Server runs on your PC, internal network server, or cloud provider. You control the security and who can access it.

We do not host or store your data. We do not have access to your data. We never see, know or touch your data.

What are the Differences Between the Sentinel Visualizer Editions?

Standard Edition: Powerful link analysis and visualization for single users (database resides on the computer's local hard drive)
Professional Edition: Same as Standard plus Geospatial tools and Google Earth integration
Premium Edition: Same as Professional plus multi-user database access (database resides on your Microsoft SQL network server)
Ultimate Edition: Same as Premium plus the Advanced Security Feature

Comparison Chart

What is the Latest Version?

Sentinel Visualizer 10 is the latest version. It is the follow-on product to versions 4.0, 4.1, 4.5, 4.6, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 7.2, 7.3, 8.0, 9.0, 9.3 and the original Sentinel Threat Management System.

How do I Purchase Sentinel Visualizer?

You can purchase Sentinel Visualizer directly from FMS. Please visit our Contact page.

What are the Hardware and Software Requirements?

The current version of Sentinel Visualizer supports the 64-bit versions of following operating systems:

Microsoft Windows 11
Microsoft Windows 10

Sentinel Visualizer requires one of the following:

Microsoft SQL Server 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 or later (or SQL Azure)

We offer SQL Express 2019 for free to install on your PC. Visit Installing and Configuring SQL Server Express page for details.

The following table lists minimum and ideal hardware configurations. The overall rule, however, is to install the most powerful equipment that you can afford.

Feature	Minimum	Ideal
RAM	8 GB	32 GB or more
Monitors	One	Multiple monitors
Resolution	1280 x 1024	Higher resolution to show more data
Hard Disk	3 GB, plus space for local databases	10 GB, plus space for local database; SSD (Solid State Drive) for hosting SQL Server and other disk intensive processes
Internet Connectivity	Not required for most features. For concurrent licenses, a continuous connection is required.	Required for Geospatial features such as Google Earth and Bing Maps.
Optional 3D glasses for stereoscopic visualization	Anaglyph 3D Glasses

How do I Install Sentinel Visualizer?

Sentinel Visualizer is installed with a professional installation setup program. The setup program can be downloaded or provided on a CD for an additional fee.

A separate setup program is provided to install Microsoft SQL Server Express.

Does Sentinel Visualizer require Additional Software to be Installed?

No. The Sentinel Visualizer Setup program installs all its required system files for operation. It includes a Microsoft setup program to install SQL Server Express for local database storage.

To use Sentinel Visualizer in a multi-user configuration, you need network access to a system running Microsoft SQL Server or point to a cloud host like Microsoft Azure.

To use the Google Earth mapping features, you need to install Google Earth which can be downloaded for free: Google Earth.

How Does Product Activation Work?

All non-trial installations of Sentinel Visualizer require online internet activation. The first time that you run the software, you must enter your serial number and email address. Sentinel Visualizer takes care of activating the product for you.

If you do not have an Internet connection to activate your software, please contact our support team.

Is a Dongle or Other Hardware Lock Required?

No. Unlike other link analysis vendors, we believe that forcing users to maintain and use a hardware lock (dongle) is a practice that considers customers as criminals. Sentinel Visualizer does not require any type of hardware or dongle device.

The Concurrent License option lets you share a license across multiple machines provided each PC has an active Internet connection. It's handled automatically and does not require physically moving anything from PC to PC.

How Does it Compare to Harris/IBM i2 Analyst's Notebook?

Harris/IBM's i2 Analyst's Notebook is a well established and expensive product for displaying data in link charts. It uses a proprietary data storage format unlike Sentinel Visualizer's use of industry standard Microsoft SQL Server databases. There are many other differences that make Sentinel Visualizer the preferred platform for analyzing data to find the hidden relationships among people, places and events:

On the Import screen, why can't I see the spreadsheet data?

If a 64-bit version of Microsoft Office is not installed on your PC, Office drivers need to be installed to open Excel spreadsheets. The drivers could also need to be repaired.

See the Import Does Not Show Source Data page for details.