Scaling and configuring the Reference Data service role
The Reference Data service is referenced by the Content Delivery role and may experience high load as a result of activities such as IP and user agent lookups.
Installation
Use the Sitecore Installation Framework (SIF) or the Sitecore Azure Toolkit (SAT) to install the Reference Data service role. Refer to the installation guide for your version of the platform for more information.
Scaling the Reference Data service
The following table describes the way you can scale the Reference Data service:
| Scaling option | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Combined instance | Yes | TheReference Data service role can be combined with any other Experience Platform Service role. Note In a developer environment, all XP service roles can be combined into a single instance. This setup is not recommended in production. |
| Standalone instance | Yes | You can deploy the Reference Data service as a standalone role. |
| High availability and failover | Yes | You can failover to a passive instance or set up multiple active instances behind a load balancer. |
| Horizontal scaling for load distribution | Yes | You can set up multiple instances behind a load balancer. All instances must read from a single centrally located Reference Data database. |
The following general scaling recommendations apply in all scenarios:
- Deploy the Reference Data service as close as possible to the Content Delivery (CD) environment because the CD environment generates the most load on the application.
In a developer environment, you can combine all XP service roles into a single instance. We do not recommended this setup in a production environment.
Performance tuning tasks
Consider the following performance tuning options:
- High resource consumption by the Reference Data database may result in a slower response time from the Reference Data service and degrade Content Delivery performance. There is a patch available for Sitecore 9.0 - 9.2.
The Reference Data service is used heavily by the Content Delivery role.
Security configuration tasks
Refer to the Reference Data service section of the Security guide.
Default topologies and packages
The following tables list the topologies that include the Reference Data role and how the role is packaged by default.
Sitecore Installation Framework
The Reference Data service is available in the following default topologies for Sitecore Installation Framework:
| Topology | Web Deploy Packages | Description |
|---|---|---|
| XP Single | Sitecore 9.X.X rev. XXXXXX (OnPrem)_xp0xconnect.scwdp.zip | Reference Data is bundled with all other XP service roles. |
| XP Scaled | Sitecore 9.X.X rev. XXXXXX (OnPrem)_xp1referencedatacollection.scwdp.zip | Standalone instance of Reference Data. |
Sitecore Azure Toolkit
The Reference Data service is available in the following default topologies for Sitecore Azure Toolkit:
| Topology | Web Deploy Packages | Description |
|---|---|---|
| XP Single | Sitecore 9.X.X rev. XXXXXX (Cloud)_xp0xconnect.scwdp.zip | Reference Data is bundled with all other XP service roles. |
| xDB Single | ||
| XP Scaled | Sitecore 9.X.X rev. XXXXXX (Cloud)_xp1referencedata.scwdp.zip | Standalone instance of xReference Data. |
| xDB Scaled |