As you know, ArcInfo 8.0.1 is the initial release of new desktop applications. We are aware that performance issues will arise in your use of this release. The goal of this paper is to help you boost performance in your use of ArcInfo 8. It provides some key system configuration recommendations and other ideas that can help you use 8.0.1.
Suggested Hardware Configuration
Desktop Applications (ArcMap, ArcCatalog and ArcToolbox)
Workstation Applications (Arc, Arcedit, Arcplot, GRID, TIN, etc)
For best performance, use an appropriately configured PC:
If you run anti-virus software that searches files on access, you may notice some degradation in the performance of ArcInfo 8.0.1 Desktop applications. Turning it off or configuring it to run on program access may help this situation.
Set the "Application Performance" boost to the middle, not to "None" or to "Max." This may affect your other software, but will help to optimize the performance of ArcMap.
Turn off the Microsoft "Find Fast" process on your PC.
Why does ArcMap get slower when I have a very large number of layers in my table of contents (TOC)?
This performance issue is being looked at in the development of ArcInfo 8.0.2.
Coverage editing in ArcMap in ArcInfo 8.0.1
There are some performance issues in coverage editing in ArcMap. A brief background of the object editor is necessary to understand the issue of coverage editing performance in ArcMap. In order to edit a coverage, ArcMap must first translate each feature in each feature class into an appropriate Feature Dataset Object (FDO) in order for the object editor to interpret correctly the coverage data model. This additional layer will incur some cost in terms of performance inside ArcMap. ArcInfo 8.0.1 is slower than users would prefer, the 8.0.2 release addresses this issue bringing the editing environment closer to that of Arcedit, the native coverage editor in ArcInfo.
Certain tips can be followed to aid the current performance when editing coverage data. The first and foremost would be to work as locally as is possible. That is, zoom into the smallest possible envelope of the area you are going to edit. Especially for polygon coverage data, it is imperative to work in the smallest area possible in order to ensure the best possible performance. Also know that extremely large dense and complex polygon features will take some time to process in version 8.0.1.
After selecting a spatial dataset, ArcCatalog takes a long time to re-gain its focus, why?
You may have the default options for metadata set; that is to create and update the metadata file each time a dataset is selected.
For large datasets such as a large raster file, it may take some time to update the metadata. To disable this option, choose Properties from the File menu in ArcCatalog. Once the properties are open go to the Metadata tab and un-check the box where it reads, "Updating Metadata - Metadata that ArcCatalog automatically creates for you such as the spatial extent and the number of features can change when your data is edited. ArcCatalog can update the metadata for you to reflect those changes." The check box options states, "Automatically update metadata whenever an item's metadata is viewed in the Metadata tab."
If you do this, you then need to remember to update the metadata manually when you view a dataset's metadata.
If you are using a client installation (i.e. running the software from a server, not from your local machine), you can choose to setup specific parts of ArcInfo to run locally.
During the user installation program, choose the Custom install option. On the next screen of the install wizard, check on the applications that will be setup locally on your computer. The performance of the locally installed applications will be improved.
Initial startup time for each of the applications ArcMap, ArcCatalog and ArcToolbox may take up to half a minute. Subsequent startups will be considerably quicker.
*NOTE: This is not an option for user who runs a standard installation (running the software locally, not from a server machine).
Why is working with my Geodatabase slow?
A poorly tuned and designed database will be slower than a tuned database. Follow the instructions in the ArcSDE Tuning Guide for help configuring your database.
Does my data model affect performance?
Definitely. A poorly designed data model will affect the performance of the applications using it. The Geodatabase contains many new concepts such as feature datasets, geometric networks, relationship classes, etc. How your data model is designed with respect to some of these will be critical to how well your geodatabase performs.
How can I increase performance when working with my versioned database in ArcMap?
Keep in mind that the shared edge editing tool works on all feature classes in a feature dataset regardless of whether they are layers in your map or not. If you are using the shared editing tool, include all the classes from the feature dataset you are working with to your map.
We will continue to address key performance issues in each new release. The first of these, 8.0.2, will be available in the Spring of 2000 and will provide improved performance in many key areas of the software.
We are also interested in helping you boost performance in specific instances. If you are experiencing a problem, we urge you to contact us at ESRI Technical Support and provide them with the following information:
PC specifications