Opening an existing model takes a long time


Product(s):SewerGEMS, CivilStorm, StormCAD, SewerCAD, WaterGEMS, WaterCAD, HAMMER
Version(s):CONNECT Edition
Area:Other

Problem

It takes a long time to open an existing model.

For example the model open process gets stuck for a long time during the "schema update" step.

Solution

There are a few possible reasons why a model may take a long time to open.

Schema Update (model saved in older major version)

When opening a model that was last saved in an older major version (for example opening a model saved in 10.03.XX.XX in 10.04.XX.XX), a "Schema update" occurs, where the database format is upgraded to the new version. In some cases new tables need to be added for new features for example, and other structural changes may be needed to account for changes in functionality in the newer version.

This is a one time delay - once the model is re-saved in the newer version, the "schema update" will not occur when subsequently re-opening the model and performance should be much better.

Note that there is a known issue observed in version 10.04.XX.XX of the storm and sewer products (reference #1052472) where this schema update step can take a notably long time for some models, especially if they were originally created in a much older version. Again though, once you re-save the model in the new version, this long delay will no longer occur.

Model database size

If the model is already saved in the version that you are using yet it still takes a long time to open, the problem may be due to the size of the model.

If the model is very large, it can take a longer time to open as the model database will be larger (file size). First, check the size of the .SQLITE file associated with the model (.WTG.SQLITE for the water products and .STSW.SQLITE for the storm and sewer products). If the size is not very large and you are using a traditional mechanical hard drive (HDD), consider upgrading to a faster, Solid State Drive (SSD) as performance can be greatly improved.

If the model database is large, first consider compacting the database to save space. If the database size is still very large after doing that, check for excessive Change Tracking records (from the Review ribbon) and if present, consider using the change tracking archive feature as this can greatly reduce the model database size and therefore improve performance on opening and saving. See: SQLITE database size grows very large due to Change Tracking

If you had calculated results saved from a previous session, it will also need to load the output files, which can take more time for larger models with a larger amount of output. Consider the following articles to help choose where the output results are saved, and to reduce the amount of output:

Network Bandwidth

If you are choosing to save the model in a network drive or in ProjectWise, your network bandwidth could be the limiting factor. First consider the model size and where the output files are being stored (see above). Try copying the model first to your local hard drive and compare file open performance.