I have a 80MB database that is stored on the iphone and opened directly from the device.

 

I checked the opening layout and the opening script and they are not responsible for the slow opening (i even changed the opening layout for an empty one and deleted the opening script...no change in speed).

It's really the file loading that is slow.

Slow means around 40 seconds on a slow device like an ipod and maybe 20 seconds on an iphone 5.

By comparison it takes less than 5 seconds on a computer

 

Any way to improve the file opening speed on FM GO ?

I found out that what slows down the loading time is the number of occurrences in the database.

I restructured my database so I eliminated about 400 occurrences and was able to reduce the loading time to 22% of what it was before.

Are you saying that the number of table occurrences slowed down the opening of your db? Usually it's a matter of loading all records or a large found set. What do you mean by eliminating 400?

Basically we have 24 ImageIds fields on each of our layouts. Those fields are calculated by evaluating a lot of conditions. Each field was linked to an occurrence of our Icons table.

I eliminated those occurrences by recoding the calculation to get a Base64 encoded version of the image instead of just the Image ID.

Just loading the DB was taking 77 seconds on my slow and old Ipod. It now takes about 17 seconds.

Looks like FM has to load the whole structure in memory and the more occurrences you have the longer it takes.

My understanding (and I don't have sources for it so take it lightly) is that FileMaker loads the TO of any layout it references, along with all related TOs.

My understanding (and I don't have sources for it so take it lightly) is that FileMaker loads the TO of any layout it references, along with all related TOs.

 

You are right about that but from my tests, even if I switched to an unrelated table at startup it still was taking a lot of time to load when I had all those occurrences.

I think I will do a simple test with a new database and will get back to you

Starting with my old database with hundreds of occurrences of the icons table, I created a new unrelated table called "T" with a simple text field in it.

I switched to the layout "T" and closed the database.

Reloaded the database, eliminated the opening scripts and added switch to layout "T" in the File Options.

Transfered it to my Ipod and loaded it in FMGO.

72 seconds to load.

Without all the occurrences it takes less than 14 seconds (which will probably translate into a 2-3 seconds loading time on a recent Iphone, I will test it later)

Both files have the exact same data.

 

Basically from my tests with my database it does not matter if you start on a related table or not, it looks like FM has to load all the structure in memory prior to anything.....

Unless I completely miss something ?

Sounds like you've got a pretty good test there. Total TOs and not related TOs.