Walkthrough: Configuring Always Encrypted for the Sitecore Cortex Processing databases using Azure Key Vault

Current version: 9.3

Applies to

Sitecore Cortex™ Processing Storage database, Sitecore Cortex Processing Tasks database

Sitecore Installation Framework

Always Encrypted is not enabled by default.

Sitecore Azure Toolkit

Always Encrypted is not enabled by default.

The Sitecore Cortex Processing Tasks database and the Sitecore Cortex Processing Storage database support the Always Encrypted feature for columns that contain sensitive data. You can enable Always Encrypted for existing databases using Azure Key Vault.

This walkthrough tells you how to perform the following tasks:

  • Create keys

  • Configure Cortex Processing roles

  • Configure Always Encrypted for the Tasks and Storage database

Create keys

Refer to Microsoft’s Azure Key Vault documentation for information about setting up Azure Key Vault. The overall steps are:

Configure Cortex Processing roles

You must complete the following steps on every instance of the roles that access the Cortex Processing Tasks and Cortex Processing Storage databases:

  • Cortex Processing Engine

  • Cortex Processing Table and Blob Storage service

To configure the Cortex Processing roles to use Always Encrypted:

  1. Set the SqlCommandColumnEncryptionEnabled element to true in the following configuration files for the Cortex Processing Table and Blob Storage service roles:

    • <role-root>\App_Data\Config\Sitecore\Processing\sc.Processing.Engine.Storage.Sql.xml (enables encryption of blob storage)

  2. Set the SqlCommandColumnEncryptionEnabled element to true in the following configuration files for the Cortex Processing Engine:

    • <role-root>\App_Data\Config\Sitecore\Processing\sc.Processing.Engine.Cursors.Sql.xml (enables encryption of cursors)

    • <role-root>\App_Data\Config\Sitecore\Processing\sc.Processing.Engine.Storage.Sql.xml (enables encryption of blob storage)

    • <role-root>\App_Data\Config\Sitecore\Processing\sc.Processing.Engine.Tasks.Sql.xml (enables encryption of tasks)

    Note

    In the default topologies, the Cortex Processing Engine is bundled with the Cortex Processing roles. All Cortex Processing Engine configuration files are located under: <processing-service-root>\App_data\jobs\continuous\ProcessingEngine\App_Data\Config\Sitecore\Processing

  3. Enable <role-root>\App_Data\Config\Sitecore\CoreServices\sc.Xdb.Sql.Common.Encryption.AzureKeyVault.xml.disabled. You must perform this step on both the Cortex Processing Engine and the Cortex Processing Table and Storage service.

    Note

    This file defines the names of the ClientIdAppSettingsKey (devault value: AzureKeyVaultClientId) and ClientSecretAppSettingsKey (default value: AzureKeyVaultClientSecret) settings. You do not need to change these settings.

  4. In <role-root>\App_Config\AppSettings.config (), add the following app settings. You must perform this step on both the Cortex Processing Engine and the Cortex Processing Table and Storage service. Copy values for it from the Azure Key Vault (ClientId and SecretId):

    RequestResponse
    <add key="AzureKeyVaultClientId" value="1fb143e0-b103-472b-a281-c8727d3dfb2f" />
    <add key="AzureKeyVaultClientSecret" value="mfCEb0z5r3UOIBMG38tpbdi1OvC9NvUSJV9u+VwpGEg="" />

Configure Always Encrypted for the Tasks and Storage database

Important

These instructions do not apply to the xDB Processing Tasks and xDB Processing Pools databases.

To configure Always Encrypted for the Sitecore Cortex™ Processing Storage and Sitecore Cortex Processing Tasks databases:

  1. Configure Always Encrypted for the following columns with the corresponding encryption types: ·      

    Database

    Column

    Encryption Type

    Cortex Processing Tasks database

    [Cursors].[Bookmark]

    RANDOMIZED

    [Tasks].[Options]

    RANDOMIZED

    Cortex Processing Storage database

    [Blobs].[Value]

    RANDOMIZED

  2. Grant the following permissions to the restricted user (processingengineuser by default):

    RequestResponse
    GRANT VIEW ANY COLUMN MASTER KEY DEFINITION TO [<restricted_user>]
    GRANT VIEW ANY COLUMN ENCRYPTION KEY DEFINITION TO [restricted_user]

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