Data Service Cache

Responses from data services for an entity are cached for 30 days by default.

When an evaluation is rerun through the same Workflow with the same supplied entity information within 30 days of the previous evaluation, Alloy returns the cached data-service responses instead of making new requests. This is to save on any incurred usage costs, as no change in data should not materialistically change a data vendor response.

If the supplied information changes, Alloy treats the rerun as a new data request and calls the applicable data services again.

How changing PII affects a rerun

Personally identifiable information (PII), such as an address, is part of the supplied information used to determine whether cached responses can be returned.

If PII changes between evaluation runs:

• Alloy sends fresh requests to the applicable downstream data services and vendors.
• The rerun uses executed data rather than cached responses.
• Multiple fresh reruns in a short period may affect a vendor’s fraud-velocity model.
• If a credit bureau is called again, the fresh pull may result in an additional inquiry or hit.

How to tell whether cached or fresh data was used

Check the evaluation’s raw response:

• Executed means the data services were called and returned new responses.
• Cached means the data services were not called and cached responses were used.

Refresh the cache manually

To force the data services to return new responses when manually rerunning an evaluation:

1. Start a manual rerun of the evaluation.
2. Select the workflow and version to use.
3. Scroll to the Settings section of the Rerun entity form.
4. Select the + symbol to expand the section.
5. Select Refresh Cache.
6. Run the evaluation.

Refresh the cache through the API

Add the following header to the POST request used to rerun an evaluation:

alloy-refresh-cache: true

For more information, see Refreshing the cache.