Server considerations

Server configuration features

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In the Sitecore Experience Platform, you can configure servers to perform dedicated tasks, such as content delivery, content management, reporting, and data processing. Configuring servers to perform different server roles allows you to begin the process of improving performance and scalability.

Note

To configure a server to perform a specific predefined feature or role, you may need to make changes to the default configuration of your Sitecore solution.

The following table is a description of the server features that you can enable or disable, along with the required connection strings and configuration files that you need to enable or disable to configure a role. The App_Config folder contains all connection strings, in the ConnectionStrings.config file, and it also contains all configuration files, in the Include folder.

Note

Do not make changes directly to the configuration files. Instead, you must create a patch file that performs the required changes during runtime.

Server feature and description	Connection strings	Configuration files
Tracking To track online visits, contacts (visitors), personalization, goals, campaigns, profiles, pattern cards, and multivariate tests. By default, all tracking data is saved in the MongoDB collection database.	Configure the following database connection strings: `analytics` `tracking.live` `tracking.history`	Required configuration files: `Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.Database.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.Aggregation.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.RobotDetection.config` If you want all tracking subsystem features enabled but you do not want tracking data to be saved to the collection database, you need to disable the following configuration files: `Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.Database.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.Aggregation.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.RobotDetection.config`
Reporting Reporting uses data from the collection and reporting databases for applications such as Experience Analytics reports.	Configure the following database connection strings: `analytics` `reporting`	Required configuration file: `Sitecore.Analytics.Reporting.config`
Processing In the xDB, processing can perform a variety of distributed tasks via the TaskManager API. For example, location and contact reclassification and the rebuilding of the reporting database. You can define and start your own distributed processing tasks using the TaskManager API. It is only possible to run custom tasks if you have enabled the processing feature on at least one server.	Configure the following database connection strings: `tracking.live` `tracking.history` `analytics` `reporting.secondary`	Required configuration file: `Sitecore.Processing.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.Services.config`
Aggregation Aggregation processing involves the extraction of data from the collection database, grouping and reducing the data, and then storing it in the reporting database for use by Sitecore reporting applications. Aggregation keeps the reporting database synchronized with the collection database.	Configure the following database connection strings: `tracking.contact` `tracking.live` `reporting`	Required configuration files: `Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.Aggregation.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.Aggregation.ProcessingPools.config` `Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.Aggregation.Services.config`
Reporting Service Client Enable the reporting client feature to view Sitecore reporting applications. Enable this feature on a content management server. If you have the appropriate network/security setup, such as in the xDB cloud, the reporting UI can display reports even if the reporting database is not available.	Configure the following database connection strings: `analytics`	Required configuration files: `Sitecore.Analytics.Reporting.config` `Sitecore.Xdb.Remote.Client.config`
Reporting Service Server Can query different data sources for Sitecore reporting applications. It queries the reporting database for grouped, aggregated data and trends, and the collection database for individual contact or interaction data.	Configure the following database connection strings: `reporting`	Required configuration files: `Sitecore.Analytics.Reporting.config` `Sitecore.Xdb.Remote.Server.config`
EAS Processing Processing of engagement automation state timeouts. This type of processing sets up the automation workers that process EAS timeout conditions.	Configure the following database connection strings: `analytics`	Required configuration file: `Sitecore.Analytics.Automation.TimeoutProcessing.config`

Server feature and description

Connection strings

Configuration files

Tracking

To track online visits, contacts (visitors), personalization, goals, campaigns, profiles, pattern cards, and multivariate tests.

By default, all tracking data is saved in the MongoDB collection database.

Configure the following database connection strings:

analytics

tracking.live

tracking.history

Required configuration files:

Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.Database.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.Aggregation.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.RobotDetection.config

If you want all tracking subsystem features enabled but you do not want tracking data to be saved to the collection database, you need to disable the following configuration files:

Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.Database.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.Aggregation.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Tracking.RobotDetection.config

Reporting

Reporting uses data from the collection and reporting databases for applications such as Experience Analytics reports.

Configure the following database connection strings:

analytics

reporting

Required configuration file:

Sitecore.Analytics.Reporting.config

Processing

In the xDB, processing can perform a variety of distributed tasks via the TaskManager API. For example, location and contact reclassification and the rebuilding of the reporting database.

You can define and start your own distributed processing tasks using the TaskManager API. It is only possible to run custom tasks if you have enabled the processing feature on at least one server.

Configure the following database connection strings:

tracking.live

tracking.history

analytics

reporting.secondary

Required configuration file:

Sitecore.Processing.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.Services.config

Aggregation

Aggregation processing involves the extraction of data from the collection database, grouping and reducing the data, and then storing it in the reporting database for use by Sitecore reporting applications. Aggregation keeps the reporting database synchronized with the collection database.

Configure the following database connection strings:

tracking.contact

tracking.live

reporting

Required configuration files:

Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.Aggregation.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.Aggregation.ProcessingPools.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Processing.Aggregation.Services.config

Reporting Service Client

Enable the reporting client feature to view Sitecore reporting applications. Enable this feature on a content management server.

If you have the appropriate network/security setup, such as in the xDB cloud, the reporting UI can display reports even if the reporting database is not available.

Configure the following database connection strings:

analytics

Required configuration files:

Sitecore.Analytics.Reporting.config

Sitecore.Xdb.Remote.Client.config

Reporting Service Server

Can query different data sources for Sitecore reporting applications. It queries the reporting database for grouped, aggregated data and trends, and the collection database for individual contact or interaction data.

Configure the following database connection strings:

reporting

Required configuration files:

Sitecore.Analytics.Reporting.config

Sitecore.Xdb.Remote.Server.config

EAS Processing

Processing of engagement automation state timeouts. This type of processing sets up the automation workers that process EAS timeout conditions.

Configure the following database connection strings:

analytics

Required configuration file:

Sitecore.Analytics.Automation.TimeoutProcessing.config

Note

The following configuration files are necessary for all server features and you should therefore not disable them:

Sitecore.Analytics.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Model.config

Sitecore.Analytics.Mongodb.config

By default, all of these configuration files are enabled with the exception of Sitecore.Xdb.Reporting.RemoteClient.config and Sitecore.Xdb.Reporting.RemoteServer.config file, which are disabled by default.

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