[AccessD] Speed Issues on network just with Access App

Mon Nov 7 14:10:47 CST 2016

Thanks Jim.  I had customer put an XP box back in play for someone that constantly was having issues and I'll see how that goes over the next few days.  It may lean to the theory that a Windows Update(s) is causing the problem since XP hasn't had any updates in over 2 years.

I will check the suggestions you have listed out, as best as I can.

One question you may or may not know and I hope I can explain it clearly (doubt it).  I know that when you make a request for say All Salespeople working with the company for more than 10 years, the entire set of tables referenced in that query are brought from the database on the server to the local PC, where the FE then filters out all the appropriate results.  Access is not a true client/server product.  Given that, does it matter to the performance of the database if you were to have a lot of tables in the BE database that only get utilized every few weeks?  Would it be better to separate those out to a separate database and link to them?  Meaning:

MDB1 has tables A, B, C & D.  Tables A, B & C are used all the time for input and queries, etc.  Table D is an archive used for historical lookups which only happens every few weeks.  Assuming each table is 25% of the total mdb size, would moving Table D out to a new MDB2 and linking back to it provide any benefit in performance for the every day work that happens on Tables A, B & C?  The database would in theory be 3/4 the size it was with table D removed.  I'm thinking of how a code module on a local FE mdb would work, where if you had say 30 functions/procedures in ModuleA, but only a few were really used all the time, calling one of those functions loads the entire module and can effect performance.

Much appreciated.  John

John Bodin

sBOR Office Systems

jbodin at sbor.com<mailto:jbodin at sbor.com>

________________________________
From: AccessD <accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com> on behalf of James Button <jamesbutton at blueyonder.co.uk>
Sent: Monday, November 7, 2016 11:39 AM
To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Speed Issues on network just with Access App

John,

Thanks for the reply -
Yes, does seem to be Access related rather than other processes -

You seem to have excluded be comms error handling, and most other processes.

Some possible sources of delays -
Server processes need more memory - is something else now using more of the
server memory
Database Locks within the facility
Index gone missing
Server level File locking ??
Some part of the processing has gone over a critical (to the memory management)
number of entries, or data file size
I have come across problems related to data keys being date based and the
randomising algorithm was grouping data causing locking problems, and then the
'fixed' version spreading data causing massively unexpected numbers of reads to
get the spread-out data.

Basically - all guesses at things to look at!

If you do identify a cause, please post the analysis !

JimB

-----Original Message-----
From: AccessD [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of John
Bodin
Sent: Monday, November 7, 2016 1:45 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Speed Issues on network just with Access App

Darryl/Jim, thanks for replies and suggestions.  Here's the reason I believe the
problem is with the jet engine on the local pc's OR a Windows Update, and not
the network.

Everything else runs stellar on the network.  Internet Explorer/Chrome no
issues.  VOIP phone system, no problem.  Quickbooks w/6 simultaneous users, no
problem.  Opening files over network shares, no problem.  I was hoping I'd have
the slow network performance on word/excel files over the network as I have seen
that multiple times and have been able to change settings on the server to
correct.  Unfortunately, works just fine.  All Windows 7 Pro 64 bit with a few
older XP boxes which have never and still never experience the speed problem.

I eliminated the new gig switch I put in a little while back by getting an older
model that is much less sophisticated, and no issues w/anything except the
random slowdowns with Access.  That goes for both the new and the older switch
so I have to rule that out.  And rule out the wiring as I have moved
workstations around to see if maybe a bad cable was in play, but problem still
randomly happens on original location and moved location.

The server does not have Access installed, just has the MDB's on a shared drive.
Copy of FE on local PC's C drive.  I have some C drives that are SSD's, but
doesn't seem to matter.

What the norm has been for the 20+ years this A2K system has been around is that
if you are the only one in (say on a Saturday), everything is lightning fast.
Screens open in a second or less.  When 2 or more people get in, then the
screens slow a bit, but usually no more than 2 seconds to open any form, very
acceptable.  No complaints, even when 15+ are in at the same time, some running
multiple instances of Access (one instance runs a Dispatch Board on one monitor,
the other instances runs the rest of the program, like Work Order Entry,
Purchase Orders, Quotes, etc.)  The other thing I always do before putting an
update into the FE is to create a blank MDB and import all the objects from the
FE I'm working on and compile the FE.  This is what they run, a clean FE. There
was phenomenon back on their server in Windows NT days where if I made a change
to a report or form say on one machine, which would decompile that FE, if a
second person connected to the app, they would no!
 tice a 2 - 3 minute delay in opening any form, every time they clicked on a
button or other form.  As soon as everyone got out, one person was left, that
person would experience very fast performance again.  Creating blank mdb and
importing all objects and compiling took care of this, so I keep doing this
slightly pain in the tail procedure whenever making updates to the system.

Finishing up, not too many months ago the speed issue creeped in.  It was around
the time of both the addition of the new switch and introduction of Dell 3040
Optiplex Micro machines.  I have addressed removing network switch, but that
didn't help.  I can't remove all of the 3040's because of problem with old XP
boxes and the version of QB people are running.  There are maybe 4 or 5 3040's
in play.  Quite possible a Windows Update came across which would only effect
the Win7 boxes, that's a high possibility in my book.

And not being able to explain this one, I've seen a person being the only one in
the system on a Saturday morning and the system hung for minutes at a time
(white screen) just opening the Access App.  Not even the typical places which
are several of the forms/procedures.  That had never happened ever, so a gremlin
has snuck in somewhere and I just do not know where.  I do not know what tool(s)
to utilize that may help determine the hangup (maybe something like Wireshark, I
do not know.)

Thanks for listening.

John

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