/ Sitecore

Sitecore Installation Framework 2.1.0 Released – Required for 9.1 Update 1

Sitecore Installation Framework 2.1.0 has been released. This version is required if you want to deploy Sitecore 9.1 Update 1.

You can obtain this version at https://sitecore.myget.org/feed/sc-powershell/package/nuget/SitecoreInstallFramework/2.1.0

If you are using PowerShell to get the package you would use a call akin to the following. Note, its a good practice to still download Sitecore Fundamentals for standard operations:

Register-PSRepository -Name sc-powershell -SourceLocation https://sitecore.myget.org/F/sc-powershell/api/v2

# Install Sitecore Fundamentals (Required for Standard Operations)
Install-Module -Name "SitecoreFundamentals" -RequiredVersion "1.1.0" -Repository "sc-powershell" -Force

# Install Sitecore Install Framework 
Install-Module -Name "SitecoreInstallFramework" -RequiredVersion "2.1.0" -Repository "sc-powershell" -Force
/ Sitecore

Rebuild the Sitecore Reporting Database the Right Way

Usually the Sitecore Reporting database needs to be rebuilt for various reasons (corruption, upgraded Sitecore version, missing Experience Analytics data, etc. ) as it does not contain correct data. How you prepare for the rebuild, what happens during rebuild, and afterwards matter. Prepare for a Reporting Database Rebuild Before you click the button to start …

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/ Sitecore

Encrypt and Decrypt Sitecore 9 connectionStrings

A best practice for Production environments is to encrypt your connectionStrings to protect data in case the web.config file is accessed “without authorization”. My colleague Grant Killian wrote an excellent article in 2017 on the topic of encryption, the The Microsoft ASP.NET IIS Registration Tool (aspnet_regiis.exe) is the focus in the updated Security Hardening guidelines …

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/ Sitecore

Load Balancing Sitecore xConnect Guide

Horizontal scaling of xConnect, behind Load Balancers, is an approved architecture in Sitecore 9. Beyond the details stated in the “Multiple XP Service Instances” section of Sitecore’s documentation (https://doc.sitecore.com/developers/90/platform-administration-and-architecture/en/scale-horizontally.html) there are few key steps to implement this capability. Horizontal xConnect Scaling Steps As xConnect roles are essentially RESTful endpoints, they are prime targets for load …

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/ Sitecore

Sitecore 9.1 New Features and Upcoming Stylelabs DAM

Sitecore 9.1 expands on the re-architecture of Sitecore achieved with Version 9.0… adding several new features from identity management to machine learning (AI). Looking beyond Sitecore 9.1, the acquisition of Stylelabs is at the forefront bringing Digital Asset Management (DAM) capabilities to the platform as an plugin first (announced January 9, 2019) with an eventual …

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