This topic describes how to configure Selective Data Distribution between CD engines. Selective data distribution relies on the replication infrastructure to transmit masked data, so configuring SDD is similar to configuring standard replication. In DCT, SDD is configured through replication policies — navigate to Data > Policies > Replication and select the Selective Data Distribution mode.

For step-by-step guidance on using the DCT interface, see Managing Replications.

Prerequisites

  • The replication target can be on the same or newer version than the replication source. For version compatibility, see Forward Compatible Replication (FCR).

  • The target CD engine must be reachable from the source engine. Both engines must be registered in DCT.

  • The target CD engine must have sufficient free storage to receive the replicated data.

  • The user must have administrative privileges on the source and the target engines. In DCT, your user and Access Groups must have permission to manage replication policies.

Configure the network

Replication and selective data distribution operate using a private network protocol between two CD engines. The selective data distribution network protocol uses TCP port 8415. If there is a firewall between the source and target that is blocking this port, there are two possible solutions:

  • Enable port 8415 on the firewall to allow connections from the source to the target.

  • Selective data distribution can connect through a SOCKS proxy. See Configure replication for SOCKS proxy configuration details.

Create an SDD replication policy in DCT

  1. In DCT, navigate to Data > Policies > Replication.

  2. Click + Replication Policy.

  3. Select the Selective Data Distribution mode.

  4. Enter the policy Name and optional Description.

  5. Select the Target Engine — a DCT-connected CD engine that will receive the masked data.

  6. Under Replication Objects, select the masked VDBs you want to distribute.

    Selected objects

    • You can only select masked VDBs for selective data distribution.

    • Only one masked VDB per parent dSource can be selected. Multiple sibling masked VDBs that share the same unmasked dSource cannot be selected.

    • The parent dSource or VDB (and any parents in its lineage) are NOT automatically included. Some of the data from the parent may be included for disk space optimization. In addition, any environments containing database instances used as part of a replicated VDB are included as well.

    • When replicating individual VDBs, only those database instances and repositories required to represent the replicated VDBs are included.

  7. Configure Parameters:

    • Automated Replication: Optionally enable a schedule with interval and time of day.

    • Traffic Options: Enable encryption or limit bandwidth during distribution updates.

  8. Review the Summary and click Save Policy.

Encrypting the replication stream will consume additional CPU resources and may limit the maximum bandwidth that can be achieved.
When you replicate multiple datasets, your actual bandwidth usage may exceed the configured limit, potentially by up to 4x, due to system-level parallelization. To mitigate this, consider setting your bandwidth limit to a lower value than your network's maximum threshold.

Target engine behavior

No additional configuration on the target is needed. Selectively distributed objects will appear in an alternate replica that mirrors the original object layout. To view these replicas in DCT, navigate to Data > Policies > Replication and select the SDD policy to see its source objects and execution history.

Multiple sources can replicate to the same target, allowing for the flexible geographical distribution of data. You can create and manage objects on the target server without affecting subsequent updates. However, you cannot use selective data distribution for disaster recovery.

Last updated
Oct 8, 2026