Beyond 10 Branches: Moving to IIS and Planning Capacity

In the Enterprise edition, scaling is a question about the central structure rather than the branches: after which point should hosting and resource plans change?

Testing and pilots: self-hosting

For testing, the central software can be used on a Windows 10 or later PC with self-hosting (runs as an executable and serves as a web server). This is a practical route for pilot installations and proof of concept.

The 10-branch threshold

Above 10 branches, moving to an IIS server is recommended. IIS 6 and later ship with Windows Server, so the move can be made on the existing server without extra licence cost.

Where do resources run out?

Overall, resource needs scale with the number of branches and transactions, while the load sits mostly on the central database. The first component to review in capacity planning is therefore SQL Server: disk, memory and the backup window.

Planning checklist

• Centre: Windows Server 2019+ and SQL Server 2019 Standard+
• Hosting: self-hosting up to 10 branches, IIS above that
• Database capacity: grows with the transaction volume
• Branch side: same requirements, configuration optimised for 10 clients

The scaling decision is about database capacity rather than the application server: the right question is not "how many branches?" but "how many transactions per day?".

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