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How to Speed up OneSource

Author: support staff Reference Number: AA-01193 Created: 2011-02-21 21:04 Last Updated: 2014-04-26 14:20 0 Rating/ Voters
 

Being an MS Access application with data stored on a file server, OneSource relies on all of the following components to operate correctly:

A properly functioning connection to your network file server:

  • How long does it take to copy a file about 100MB in size from a folder on your PC to the folder on your server where your OneSource company data file resides?  Repeat the process in reverse. (It should take about 10-12 seconds or less.  If it takes longer contact your network  admin and see if there is more that can be done to speed up the transfer of data from your PC to your Server and visa-versa. Maybe a security setting, a weak link in the A-Z connectivity of your network, etc).
  • If you have access rights, how long does it take to open up the Customers table in your data file stored on your server?  (It should be near instantaneous).
  • Does your PC has a drive mapped to your file server?  (Our studies indicate that drive letter mappings tend to have faster access times than UNC mappings).
  • When you ping your server by name does it return an immediate reply? (If not, you may need to correct a DNS problem or create a HOSTS file to help your PC fine network resources faster/easier).
  • When you reboot and log back on and then double click your My Computer icon do the icons in the window appear instantly or does it take a while to display the drives?  (If so, you may have one or more drives that are disconnected or not easily authenticated).
  • Is your company data file stored near the top of the folder tree.  (The shorter the path the better).
  • Try creating a few benchmarks.  Perform a short list of your most routine tasks on your PC connected to the file server.  Now repeat the process on all other PC's in the office.  Is there a difference?  (If some are fine and other are not, look into what the differences are? Also, try making a copy of OneSource on your PC and copying/relinking to a copy of your data on your own PC.  How much difference is there with the network out of the picture?  Does the problem appear to be with OneSource or your PC/Network)?

Fast, properly functioning network hardware:

  • Are you connected to your server at a speed of 100 Mbps or higher? (If not, this will have a huge effect on network file transfer speed.  The newest, inexpensive technology is 1 Gbps network cards--which are effectively 10x faster than the 100 Mbps cards).
  • Are you using one or more wireless routers?  (Older wireless routers operate at 10-11Mbps--which is effectively 10x slower than 100Mbps wired networks.  Even newer wireless routers typically operate on the 802.11g standard, with is still almost 50% slower than traditional wired 100Mbps networks).

    A properly functioning copy of MS Access:

    • The last time MS Access produced an error stating that it had "encountered a problem and needs to close", did you reboot your machine afterwards? (When msaccess.exe freezes or shuts down abruptly it is a very good idea to reboot to refresh the system memory and reload all drivers).
    • You can determine if you have a problem with MS Access by using another unrelated MS Access database?  (Search for Northwinds.mdb on your PC.  This is the sample database that ships with MS Acceess).

      A properly functioning PC

      • How much RAM does your PC have?  (With multiple screens open almost all of the time, plus other applications like Word, Outlook, IE, etc, OneSource simply runs better and faster with more RAM.  1GB or more is higher recommended for peak performance).
      • How fast is your PC hardware? (Unless you are running in a Terminal Server environment, the faster the better.  We recommend the following: Processor: P4 2.0Mhz or higher, System Board Bus Speed: 400Mhz or higher, Hard Drive RPM's: 7200 RPM's or higher.
      • Are you running OneSource on a Laptop?  (Laptops have notoriously slower hard drives, video cards, and system buses--which makes data access considerably slower on laptops).
      • Have you checked your PC for a virus or spyware?  (Both can be invisible and cause several system performance problems).  
      • If your system is set to auto scan for viruses be sure to disable the real time scanning of all of the OneSource .mdb/.mde files, so each time OneSource is used it doesn't require an anti-virus filter to allow/disallow access each time).
      • Do you reboot your PC often and especially after problems occur with any software applications?  (Once the RAM in your PC has a problem, in many cases nothing short of a reboot will correct the problem).

      A properly functioning copy of OneSource:

                • When you log into OneSource does the log in screen appear within 10 seconds or less?  (If not, is it very likely that the copy of OneSource.mdb has some type of problem or corruption.  Try using the Get Network Updates option to update your copy of OneSource to a fresh new version stored on the server.  
                • OneSource may need to be compacted and repaired, or decompiled and then compiled again).
                • If any records contain corrupt data (which can occur when a connection to the data file is lost abruptly when data is in a changed/unsaved state) compacting and repairing can correct this problem.  
                • When logging into OneSource do you see the error stating that "OneSource is currently in an uncompiled state..."?  (If so, and you have clicked Yes to compile OneSource and it appears again the next time you have logged in, you will need to correct the problem by making sure all of the files are in their proper location and are compiled as well).
                • Proper field indexes can have a huge effect on overall data access speed.  Properly indexed fields can be accessed 10-100 faster.  If any one or more of the most commonly searched fields have a corrupted or missing index, performance will suffer greatly.  Using the Data Dictionary report you can run a side by side comparison of the XYZMusicData indexes to your data file.  If the numbers do not match, if necessary, contact OneSource for advise on how to reapply the necessary field indexes.
                • Additional Solutions:
                • Have you read and implemented the FAQ about OneSource "Best Practices" to use OneSource more efficiently?
                • Have your tried running OneSource in a server/dumb terminal mode using Microsoft Terminal Server? (With the right server, Terminal server can eliminate all speed and instability problems that you may be having).
                • Is your problem just with certain functions in OneSource?  (If so, maybe revisions to the OneSource application could do wonders to solve the problem--if you suspect this--please feel free to submit an SR).  

                              Beginning of re-write of this section (WHICH IS NOT COMPLETE YET) more centered around speeding up OneSource when you are running OneSource on a Terminal Server.

                              Being an MS Access application with data stored on a file server, OneSource relies on all of the following components to operate correctly:

                              A properly functioning server.

                              • Are you running OneSource on a properly configured Windows Server?
                                • Are you running OneSource Run OneSource on Terminal Server. OneSource runs WAY faster (2-10x) when installed on a Windows Server running Terminal Services (aka Remote Desktop Services or RDP). In this configuration the user clicks on a Remote Desktop icon on their PC and logs into your Windows server.  Once on the Windows Server 'desktop' the user would then use the green OneSource icon to log in to OneSource 'from' the server.  Running OneSource with Terminal Services has the following benefits:
                                  • It make it faster, as it prevents the need for the data to be transferred from the Server to the PC (and then back to the Server) and all related PC to Server security constraints.
                                  • It protects your data more, as the data never 'leaves' the server.  If the PC gets dis-connected from the Server no data is lost.  If the PC gets a virus, if the PC has no mappings to the Server, the Server won't get the Virus.
                                  • It makes OneSource more accessible.  If desired, you will be able to allow your users to log in from home, or anywhere in the world that has an internet connection.
                                  • It makes it much easier to manage OneSource and your users in general.
                                • Do you When running Terminal Server / Remote Desktop Services, make sure you have enough RAM, even processor Core's, and fast enough hard drives to meet your needs. Click here to see our recommended configurations.
                                • Getting the right amount of hardware is a little complex. However, generally, if you logging into OneSource using Remote Desktop Services your server needs to
                              • Make sure you have the right copy of MS Access
                                • If you are using Access 2003 it runs fastest on a Windows 2003 Server.
                                  • Make sure your copy of Access 2003 is up to version 11.8204.8221 (or greater) which is Access with SP3 and a special hotfix.
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