Very slow UI response in MSAccess 2007 vs. MSAccess 2003

[jpm]

Hi,

Vista/MsAccess2007

Question:
Why does the standard user interface in MsAccess 2007 randomly respond so
slowly?
For Example:

If I move pointer to click on a button, the response to the mouse click may
take 3-5 seconds to respond. This gross sluggishness is extremely common,
happening perhaps 75% of the time. It happens no matter what part of the
interface I'm using. i.e. If I have a table selected in the Navigation Pane,
and then click on an open query window, to modify it, it generally switches
focus to the query after several seconds.

Anyone have pointers on how I can improve the response? When using XP/MS
Access 2003 the UI response is instantaneous.

Thanks,
Jim M.

 

[Arvin Meyer MVP]

Both Vista and Office 2007 use more resources than earlier versions. The
resource intensity problem is mainly a Vista characteristic though. Still,
increasing RAM to 2 or more GBs should solve most of the problem. If you
cannot do that, try turning off most of the Vista graphical elements such as
Aero Glass.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

I'm running access 2007 on all old 4 year old budget processor (semptron)
AMD single core laptop at 1.8 ghz. (and only 1 gig of ram).

I find the perforamnce of 2007 screens etc are just fine. Some screens
re-plot a bit slower, but it not really effeciting how my applications run.
I not seen any significant delays in terms of cursor and are moving around
in the applications.

So, I am finding a2007 runs just fine on my older weak CPU laptop...

So, both the data/network performance and the UI seems to run just fine as
compared to the older version. I do notice a long longer long time for a2007
(but this is typical expected as each new version always adds more features
and has a larger memory footprint). However once the application is loaded,
I've not seen any noticeable or significant performance difference from the
previous versions.

I'm wondering if this is to do with the AREO interface, or perahps something
else here?

Be sure you install the new service packs for office 2007. I noticed a
couple things seem to run significantly better, including the load time of
some of my applications, I'm not really sure if that was because of the
service packs, or it was perhaps my imagination? However, it does seem a few
things seem to run better after installing the office updates. I really
don't have any real firsthand or empirical data samples that installing the
service packs helps, but they sure seemed to help in my case...

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

gerrr...

do notice a long longer long time for a2007

should readl:

So I do notice a longer loading time for a2007.........


But, once access 2007 is loaded, I not seen any Significant increase or
slowdown in the user interface for cursor movement nor data engine speed....

 

[Paul Shapiro]

I don't know if it's still true, but I found Access 2007 RTM (no service
pack) UI performance was much worse when the mdb was on a server. This was
probably with Vista RTM also, before any service pack. My documents are
redirected to the server, but Access development was too slow. I moved the
mdb to the local disk and performance issues disappeared. I use sourcecode
control, with the Visual Sourcesafe database on the server, so the Access
contents are all backed up that way, except for the data which is in split
mdb files already.

You could also check that mdb's are excluded from anti-malware scanning
because that can slow things considerably.

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

Why does the standard user interface in MsAccess 2007 randomly respond so
slowly?

There are a number of suggestions specific to A2007 at the Performance
FAQ at http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/performancefaq.htm.

Do a search on the page for 2007.

Tony

 

[jpm]

My hardware is pretty optimal, I think. It's a quad-core/dual processor
2.83 with 4GB RAM. I have Aero turned off. I don't know Vista well enough to
know what else to turn off. At any rate. This machine is blazing fast. . .
except when I try to utilize the interface in Access07. Then, it is a dying
dog. Given the hardware set up I'd expect to whip around the program much
faster than I can think to do it. Instead I'm pounding the desk in
annoyance at the delays occurring with almost every mouse click on the user
interface. It is ridiculous.

 

[jpm]

I have disabled auto-tuning for the TCP stack as suggested elsewhere, and
disabled some other suggested items.

I have not disabled the McAfee anti-virus software because I can't control
it. The sys admin is pushed out updates to the client properties several
times and hour and that un-does my exclusions. The default config for the
anti-virus stuff is to scan all local I/O activity for all applications but
their remote access software. I think that is nonsense but I need logical
arguments to convince the CIO that it should be disabled for MDB files.
But, I'm not sure that would fix the problem because when I temporarily
exclude exe and mdb files from I/O scanning, I get no improvement.

Mystified. Perhaps I'm expecting too much but I really expect an
instantaneous reponse in the UI excepting where I know that a bunch of data
retrieval is going on. Alot of complaints I've been reading about center
around poor form or report design problems. My issue is simply one of
working with query designer, clicking buttons on the ribbon menus or trying
to quickly toggle the Navigation pane. Let me know if ya'll have any other
solutions.

Thanks,
Jim M.

I don't know if it's still true, but I found Access 2007 RTM (no service
pack) UI performance was much worse when the mdb was on a server. This was
probably with Vista RTM also, before any service pack. My documents are
redirected to the server, but Access development was too slow. I moved the
mdb to the local disk and performance issues disappeared. I use sourcecode
control, with the Visual Sourcesafe database on the server, so the Access
contents are all backed up that way, except for the data which is in split
mdb files already.

You could also check that mdb's are excluded from anti-malware scanning
because that can slow things considerably.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

Do checks Tony's faq.

Some 1st things to check are:

do you have a default printer...but it is a network printer, or is not
attached at all to the computer? Try setting your default to a local
printer.

If you have a split database, make sure you keep a persistent connection
open to the back end during both development + when running the
application...

turn off track-name autocorrect.

after doing the above, then on a 4 year old single core laptop with a
"budget" processor (semptron at 1.8 ghz) I find that access 2007 runs VERY
WELL on this laptop....even during development.

 

[Arvin Meyer MVP]

The only other thing that can much things up that badly is an Anti Virus
program which is trying to look at every file access. Try turning it off
long enough to determine if it's the problem. Other than those suggestions,
go through Tony Toews performance FAQ:

http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/performancefaq.htm

 

[jpm]

Yes, but I noted in reponse to another posting that I don't have direct
constant control over anti-virus app on my workstation. I'm never able to
completely shut down the anti-virus app to better check whether it is the
cause of the problem; temporarily excluding .mdb and .exe files doesn't seem
to enhance performance.

This is one thing I've noted: The .mdb file I'm referring to is in Access
2000/2003 format and I use almost as a utility for all kinds of
reporting/data analysis stuff. It's got probably 200 queries saved in it,
dozens of local tables and links to dozens of tables in numerous other .mdb
files on a file server, as well as links to a half dozen SQL Server '05
databases on a couple of different physical servers. That said, I have used
the same .mdb file on WinXP/Access 2003 with the latest McAfee corporate
anti-virus software for that OS, and have had little problem moving quickly
around in design mode. Why would Access07 be different?

Is there overhead with the avg stuff when running queries, reports, etc.? Of
course. While I don't like it, that's not my issue here.


Thanks to all for discussion and pointers on this.

Jim M.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

That said, I have used the same .mdb file on WinXP/Access 2003 with the
latest McAfee corporate anti-virus software for that OS, and have had
little problem moving quickly around in design mode. Why would Access07
be different?

07 should not be a lot differnt. Most of the time When people upgrade their
version of office, they've often upgraded to a new computer, different
network system, and often also change their server also. And, they often
upgraded their virus software also. In other words it wasn't just a MS
access that was changed, but they've changed to completely brand new and
different operating systems such as moving from Windows XP to vista.

As I said in my case I've upgraded on my machine from access 2003 to access
2007, and while some screens replot a bit slower, there's nothing that's
really earth shattering in terms of a big drop in performance. I've been in
the computer and information technology business for about twenty years now,
and I can't think of one instance where the next new version of any
application did not run a bit slower, take more memory, and require more
processing. Access 07 is no differnt in this regards.

However, having said the above, as mentioned I'm successfully running access
2007 with very good performance on a 4 year old laptop with a weak
processor. 07 runs very well for me, and I've not noticed any reduction in
in perforamnce that is affecting my development process or cycle here.

Others in this newsgroup have experienced some performance bottlenecks with
access 2007. For one poster the issue that changed absolutely everything for
him was the issue of the default printer being a network printer that may
not always been available. However, this printer problem has come up in the
past in previous versions. As a result if I don't have a local printer
attached to my computer during the development process, then I set my
default printer as a local pdf printer. Not only does this solve performance
bottleneck issues, but it also saves me a lot of paper when I do printing
and testing of my reports during the development process in MS access.

Is there overhead with the avg stuff when running queries, reports, etc.?
Of course. While I don't like it, that's not my issue here.

In this case you can't be 100% certain that the above is not your issue. You
are using a different application with a different executable (.exe) in a
different directory and a different location. It still entirely possible
that this virus issue or virus protection software is causing a performance
bottleneck here. It perahps not likly, but it certainly not a given.

As mentioned, do try the persistent connection trick, as I've found in this
in MANY cases tends to solve the performance issue of development and
sluggish isues when saving forms or reports when they are based on linked
tables....

As mentioned, there's something obviously different in your environment, or
something that didn't affect 2003, but 2007 is more sensitive to. Obviously
I'm not experiencing this problem at all on my pc....

 

[david]

links to dozens of tables in numerous other .mdb files on a file server,
Check for broken links. (that's probably in the FAQ as well).

(david)

 

[Arvin Meyer MVP]

This is one thing I've noted: The .mdb file I'm referring to is in Access
2000/2003 format and I use almost as a utility for all kinds of
reporting/data analysis stuff. It's got probably 200 queries saved in it,
dozens of local tables and links to dozens of tables in numerous other
.mdb files on a file server, as well as links to a half dozen SQL Server
'05 databases on a couple of different physical servers.

Try making a connection to a small table in each of the databases that you
are using. Leave that connection open while you are running your code. That
is one of the performance enhancement techniques in the performance FAQ that
I mentioned in an earlier post.