How does Viewtracker affect Confluence's performance?

Depending on the Confluence configuration and the amount of content and simultaneous user interactions, a performance loss cannot be completely ruled out. We recommend making the following two settings if you run into performance issues:

Dark feature "Batch Inserting

Batch inserting optimizes write operations by aggregating view data and storing it at one-minute intervals, rather than writing each view event individually as it occurs. Enable the batch inserting as described on this page.

Activate Caching

To improve performance, especially on high-traffic Confluence sites, enable the "Cache statistics" toggle on the settings page (as described here). This setting delays the refresh of metrics displayed in various reports by 10 minutes. While this enhancement improves performance, it also means that the data shown in Viewtracker reports will not be accurate during this 10-minute window.

Data Retention

Data Retention allows administrators to specify the duration for which Viewtracker stores analytics data. By default, all data is retained indefinitely; however, enabling this feature can improve performance on large Confluence instances and support compliance with data privacy regulations. While detailed tracking data (like searches) is permanently removed, total view counts per content item are preserved and updated. Enable Data Retention as described on this page.

Maximum Usage Report

As explained here, the number of simultaneously created Content & Usage reports is limited to 4 by default. You can adjust this limit as needed. Reducing the number of concurrent reports can improve overall Confluence performance by lowering system load and ensuring smoother operation, especially in environments with high data volumes or user activity.

Read-Only Database

The Viewtracker version 9.2.4 enables the setup of a read-only database, which can be used to generate reports. However, it currently lacks a user interface for configuring this read-only database.

In short

Viewtracker will record the tracked data into the database of the Confluence instance.
You have the option to set up an additional database that synchronizes with the Confluence instance database to retrieve all the data.
Viewtracker will then read the data from this synchronized database to generate reports.
This approach offers the advantage of not using the Confluence instance database when generating complex reports, thus ensuring no negative impact on Confluence’s performance.

Setup Guide

Set up a database that synchronizes with the production Confluence database.

Confluence and Viewtracker tables must be synchronized

If you don't want to synchronize the entire database, here is a list of the tables that need to be synchronized for this use case.

AO_05769A_VISIT_ENTITY

AO_05769A_CONTENT_HIST_VIEWS

AO_05769A_URL_VIEWS

AO_05769A_TRACKED_URLS

AO_05769A_VIEW_TIME

AO_05769A_INSTANCE_REPORT_DATA

AO_05769A_ATTACHMENT_VIEWS

AO_F117EB_ATTACHMENT_VIEWS

AO_05769A_ATTACH_HIST_VIEWS

AO_F117EB_ATTACH_HIST_VIEWS

AO_05769A_ATTACHMENT_WHITELIST

AO_F117EB_ATTACHMENT_WHITELIST

AO_05769A_SEARCH

AO_075EEE_SEARCH

AO_05769A_EXCLUDED_SPACES

AO_10FA45_EXCLUDED_SPACES

AO_05769A_EXCLUDED_GROUP

AO_10FA45_EXCLUDED_GROUP

AO_05769A_EXCLUDED_USERS

AO_05769A_LICENSED_USER

AO_7B47A5_EVENT

content

cwd_user

cwd_directory

likes

notifications

os_propertyentry

spaces

user_mapping

contentproperties

cwd_group

cwd_membership

Follow the procedure described here for configuring a datasource with the additional step listed with the letter “e”.
1. Stop Confluence and backup files
2. If not already present, add the database driver
3. Configure the datasource in Tomcat
  1. You must set 'jdbc/ViewtrackerDataSource' as the Viewtracker-specific resource name in <installation-directory>/conf/server.xml.
4. Configure the Confluence web application
  1. Set 'jdbc/ViewtrackerDataSource' as <res-ref-name> in <CONFLUENCE_INSTALLATION>/confluence/WEB-INF/web.xml.
5. Enable the Viewtracker app’s read-only data source look-up by adding the following line to the <installation-directory>/bin/setenv.sh file:
  CODE
```
CATALINA_OPTS="-DViewtrackerReadOnlyDataSourceLookupEnabled=true ${CATALINA_OPTS}"
```
6. Restart Confluence

Stopping Queries

Use the “View Queries” feature to monitor all currently running Viewtracker queries that generate reports. The list updates every 30 seconds and shows each query’s name, start time, duration, and available actions. Administrators can cancel individual queries or terminate all running queries simultaneously to optimize system performance. Enable this feature as described here. While not preventive, this measure can effectively address and unblock reports that are stuck in continuous cycles.

Need Help Diagnosing Performance Issues?

If you're experiencing performance issues and are unsure of the cause, you can generate and send us the bv Support ZIP file as described here. This file contains diagnostic information that helps our support team analyze and identify potential issues in your setup. We'll review the contents and get back to you with our findings as soon as possible.