Install the Agent

The kAudit Agent installer is a standard Windows MSI. Choose the method that best fits your environment.

Before you start

• [ ] SQL Server Audit is enabled and writing .sqlaudit files to a known path — Enable SQL Server Audit
• [ ] You have the Central API URL (https://api.kovoco.net), Agent API Key, and audit file path
• [ ] You are logged in as a local Administrator (or have UAC elevation available)
• [ ] You can reach the API — open a browser or run curl https://api.kovoco.net/health and expect Healthy

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Choose your install method

	Method A — Simple	Method B — Config File
Best for	Single database, quick setup	Multiple databases, enterprise, or Intune/SCCM deployment
Secrets in command line	Yes (API key visible while msiexec runs)	No — secrets stay in a file you control
Multi-database	No (add databases manually after install)	Yes

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Method A — Simple install (command-line properties)

Open an elevated command prompt (Run as Administrator) and run:

msiexec /i "C:\Temp\kaudit\kaudit-msi-installer-<version>.msi" ^
  /qn ^
  /l*v "%TEMP%\kaudit-install.log" ^
  APIURL="https://api.kovoco.net" ^
  APIKEY="sk_agent_xxx_yyy" ^
  AUDITPATH="C:\Audit\*.sqlaudit" ^
  DBNAME="production-db"

Replace each value:

Parameter	Replace with
<version>	The version number from the filename (e.g., 1.2.0)
APIURL	Your Central API URL
APIKEY	Your Agent API Key
AUDITPATH	Full glob path to your .sqlaudit files
DBNAME	A short display label for this database

Check the exit code when the prompt returns:

echo Exit code: %ERRORLEVEL%

0 = success. For other codes, see Exit codes below.

Security note

The API key is passed on the command line. Although the MSI installer marks it as hidden in the install log, it may still be visible in process listings while msiexec is running. Use Method B if this is a concern.

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Method B — Config file install

Step 1: Create the configuration file

Create kaudit-config.json in a secure location on the target machine. The SYSTEM account must be able to read this path during installation.

{
  "CentralApi": {
    "BaseUrl": "https://api.kovoco.net",
    "ApiKey": "sk_agent_xxx_yyy"
  },
  "EventHubPublisher": {
    "Enabled": true,
    "Databases": [
      {
        "Name": "production-db",
        "Enabled": true,
        "AuditSource": {
          "Type": "DirectFile",
          "DirectFile": {
            "AuditFilePath": "C:\\Audit\\*.sqlaudit"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

For multiple databases, add additional objects to the Databases array.

Step 2: Run the installer pointing at your config file

msiexec /i "C:\Temp\kaudit\kaudit-msi-installer-<version>.msi" ^
  /qn ^
  /l*v "%TEMP%\kaudit-install.log" ^
  CONFIGFILE="C:\Temp\kaudit\kaudit-config.json"

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Verify the installation

After a successful install, confirm the service is running:

Get-Service -Name 'kAuditEventHubPublisher'

Expected output:

Status   Name                     DisplayName
------   ----                     -----------
Running  kAuditEventHubPublisher  kAudit EventHub Publisher

Check the install log if you need to troubleshoot:

%TEMP%\kaudit-install.log

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Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1603	Fatal error during installation — check the log
1618	Another installation is already in progress
1638	A newer version is already installed

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Next step

After a successful install, you must set the Tenant ID in the config file before the agent can publish events.

Configure the Agent →