Decreasing FileMaker Network Traffic – Vincenzo Menanno
Decreasing FileMaker Network Traffic
The goal of Vincenzo Menanno’s presentation to the Atlanta FileMaker Developers Group is decreasing network traffic – and the different techniques the developers at Beezwax have used to achieve that goal. I found this presentation fascinating and, as usual, learned things I did not know. Below is an outline of what Mennano covers in this video, along with a list of goodies at the end of this post (including a Free FileMaker Example File).
If you are looking for ways to decres over a WAN, watch this video.
If you don’t know which method FileMaker uses for record locking, optimistic vs pessimistic, then you’ll find out during his talk. He’ll share his journey into how he became an optimistic database architect. What are the critical things be aware of when allowing FileMaker to work with optimistic record locking. We’ll look at security considerations… Read more »
Advantages to Decreasing Network Traffic
- Less Data to send to users
- Performing data manipulations transactionally
- Faster rendering
- Auditing
Being an optimist in a pessimistic world – 4 ways to decrease network traffic
- Native Editing (using native FileMaker)
- Global Edits (Using Global fields)
- Local Edits (using a separate file for editing – this one is tricky)
- Data API edits (using the Data API to update records)
Other factors
- PSoS Considerations
- Benefits for WAN based solutions
- Keep a PSoS log
Native Editing
- Benefits
- Pessimistic Record Locking (Native FM)Benefits
- No Extra workBenefits
- Drawbacks
- Slower Performance – overall and over a WAN
Global Editing
- Benefits
- Save to Globals, save as JSON and send to server via PSoS
- Optimistic Record Locking
- Increased performance
- Ability to send just the changes
- Transactional control
- Stored values
- Auditing
- Drawbacks
- More work to setup
- Globals can cross talk (two users working on same record)
- Not much time savings on a LAN
- Relies on PSoS (which can bog down the server)
Local Edits (a separate file to make changes)
Benefits
- Optimistic Record Locking
- Improved Performance
- Ability to send only changes
- Transactional Control
- Stored Values
- Auditing
Drawbacks
- More work to set up
- Maintaining a separate file
- Security concerns
- Relying on PSoS
Data API
- Benefits
- Optimistic Record LockingBenefits
- Increased performance
- Ability to send just the changes
- Transactional control
- Stored values
- Auditing
- Drawbacks
- More work to setup (less)
- Data API skills needed
- Relying on Data API
Other goodies you’ll get
- Network Monitor – a free tool to monitor network traffic in FileMaker – using FileMaker
- Advice on getting rid of un-stored calculations (go to 38:15)
- Advice to log PSoS to avoid PSoS problems
- Advice on when to use PSoS
- Why not to use get(RecordModificationCount)
- Controlling calculations
“Speed and efficiency are two different things.”
~ Rasheed Ogunlaru