Since aXcelerate began supporting RTOs with managing their student data more than 12 years ago, one of our advantages is that we have held all client data together in one database. This has made it easy for us to scale the system until this point and focus on adding features rather than spending this time on server administration tasks.
However, one disadvantage of using a single database, is what is known as "the noisy neighbour" effect. This occurs when an account in the system executes an operation that requires a lot of server power such as a large AVETMISS report. The strain put on the servers then causes other users in the system to experience slowness in their accounts.
The solution to this problem, without vastly increasing server and license costs, is to split up our clients' data into smaller databases that will provide a much more reliable, scalable user experience. Taking these steps proactively will ensure that we maintain our high standard of reliability, speed, and accessibility for the system as more users join the aXcelerate community.
Some clients have more data than others and the plan is to spread the data evenly. By partitioning clients with a larger number of users, it is far less likely that any user will feel the noisy neighbour effect. You can see in this model that once the data is separated, there will be more room to grow.
Other Benefits
- The overnight reporting warehouse job will be quicker. The warehoused reports will be online for longer and available earlier each morning.
- Reporting wait queues will be shorter.
- Workflows reliant on the report queue will be completed closer to the scheduled time.
- Better security for your users with options such as Multi-Factor Authentication.
Tip: As shown by the red partition in the image above, it will be possible for an RTO to have a database of their own. aXcelerate can increase database server capacity as we need, however, as this capacity increases, our operating costs will also increase. Any users who would like a dedicated server for their account will need to absorb the additional costs into their license fees. If you are interested in this option, please aXcelerate Support for more information.
Migrate your Account
We have recently assigned new subdomains for each RTO. This appears in the URL after you log into aXcelerate in the format [your-subdomain].app.axcelerate.com.
Warning: If you have any API integrations or website links to the old URL (admin.axcelerate.com.au), you must update these NOW and confirm when you have done so.
Steps to Migrate your data
- aXcelerate assigns a subdomain - DONE
- Your organisation will update all your URLs and integrations to reference your new subdomain.
- A key contact from your organisation confirms all your URLs and integrations have been updated in aXcelerate via the System Settings page.
- Once confirmed, aXcelerate support sets a date for your migration. It will be scheduled on a Friday or Saturday night after 9 pm.
- 24-hours before the migration, aXcelerate will disable the ability to delete or merge contacts in your account. This is so we can get a head-start on the migration and minimise downtime. We will be able to migrate the history of emails and some larger log tables during the day so at night we only have to migrate the previous day's worth of data.
- On the night of the migration, aXcelerate will temporarily disable your account to copy your data to a new database. During the migration, aXcelerate will not be accessible via browser, mobile app or API. This may also affect your online bookings through your website, so if possible, you may wish to disable this feature during the migration. The migration is expected to take 3-5 hours.
- Once the migration is completed, aXcelerate will re-activate your account and all services will resume as normal
Tip: aXcelerate has already updated any of your links within aXcelerate (e.g., Resource library documents linked in a template or assessment) to your new subdomain.
Any API integrations, or links to aXcelerate, outside of aXcelerate (i.e., links aXcelerate cannot staff cannot update), using the “admin.axcelerate.com.au” domain, will need to be changed to your new subdomain.
Warning: Migrating to a subdomain is mandatory for all aXcelerate clients. If you do not act within the allotted timeframe, you may experience issues in certain areas of the system. Please refer to the FAQ's for further information.
Subdomain Migration FAQs
What if I do not migrate my account to a subdomain?
aXcelerate began rolling out these infrastructure changes in 2020. Changes will continue to occur throughout 2021 with the aim to migrate all accounts by the end of the year. Failure to act on your part may result in the following:
- Clients not being able to book onto courses through your website
- Students not being able to access links on your website
- Custom API integrations stop working
- Links sent through templates being broken
- Links to access to student or trainer resources being broken
- Users experiencing sub-optimal performance when using aXcelerate
- Workflow automations may stop working
How was the suggested subdomain for my organisation chosen?
We looked at the domains of email addresses in your aXcelerate system settings. If we found a consistent domain match on the email addresses, we used this. We also replaced the dot "." with a dash "-" for two-part domains. We generally require each client to have ownership of the website domain we have suggested as a subdomain, however, we can make exceptions to modify it, e.g. we can remove the ".asn" for websites that have a two-part domain.
How do I change the subdomain that has been assigned to my account?
If you would like to change the subdomain that has been generated for your account, please contact aXcelerate support and let them know what the subdomain should be. Please ensure that you raise any concerns about the name of your subdomain before confirming that your account is ready for migration.
Will the generic aXcelerate URL continue to work for my users?
Users in your account of any type will still be able to use the general admin.axcelerate.com.au URL to access the system. They will also be able to use your subdomain: "[yourdomain].app.axcelerate.com" to log in. The only areas that the general URL domain will not work is for API integrations and links to public resources from the resource library.
Will aXcelerate help us find where we have used the admin.axcelerate.com.au domain?
Yes, we will complete a 'search and replace' in templates, resources, assessments and email content. If there are any other areas you feel should be included, please let us know via the Support Centre.
We are unable to assist with this step in areas outside of aXcelerate (e.g., a hard-coded link to aXcelerate found on your website).
Update: This has been completed
How much will my own server cost?
The cost of having a dedicated server for your organisation will depend on many factors (e.g., learner numbers, average requests, number of logins, amount of reporting or workflows, API use etc.), so it is impossible to provide an amount without detailed scoping. We expect an entry-level server for a small client making limited requests to cost around $8000.00 per annum. Please note that server costs are in USD, so pricing will depend on the strength of the AUD relative to the USD. If you are interested in having this enabled for your account, please contact aXcelerate support so that we can evaluate your account and provide you with further information about the associated cost.
What will happen to staging (stg.axcelerate.com.au)?
We are still in the process of finalising details regarding what URL the staging server will move to, or whether it will even move at all. We will update this FAQ with more information once we are further into our development.
Do I have to worry about email and SPF records?
No. Mail will still come from our mail server on the axcelerate.com.au domain. Email will work as it does currently so no action is required.
What happens once I have confirmed that we are ready to migrate
Once this is complete, your account will be allocated to a migration pool called a "shard". Each shard will have between 50 and 200 aXcelerate accounts. aXcelerate will schedule for one shard to be migrated at a time with 2-4 weeks between each migration. Migrations will start in September 2021.
You will be notified when we have set a date to migrate your data with the other aXcelerate clients in your shard. On this date, we will again remind you of the outage. Your business should take the necessary steps to ensure your users know that aXcelerate services will be unavailable that evening. All services should be back online the following morning.