Why does ArcGIS Pro have to be so slow???

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08-01-2017 11:31 AM
ericmeyers1
New Contributor III

Why is ArcGIS Pro so slow? To select assets, field calculate, display layers, change symbology... the easiest of tasks that are commonly utilized within ArcMap are a drag on the software.

When will ArcGIS Pro become faster than ArcMap? That will be the day it could replace it as the goto product for GIS professionals.

262 Replies
ericmeyers1
New Contributor III

Computer Specs

DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

Is everything stored locally?  (ie not network data files etc)

I don't seem to be encountering any issues with a local install using local data, single user

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ericmeyers1
New Contributor III

That is what I’ve noticed. ArcGIS Pro just doesn’t have the network capabilities that ArcMap does. When I move everything local it seems to work fine but when working on the network, it is pathetically slow.

Do you think this is going to be the new ‘recommended’ process going forward? Only using local data for ArcGIS Pro?

Eric Meyers

GIS Programmer, Business Analyst - City of Beaverton

12725 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton, OR 97076

p: 503.526.2404 | f: 503.526.3720

emeyers@beavertonoregon.gov

www.beavertonoregon.gov<http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/>

DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

I am not convinced that Pro is the problem since it is 64 bit, whereas ArcMap is based on 32 bit... It could be

individual hardware and software specs are understated or that the network/server/database requirements are the real problem.

I haven't seen anyone really weigh in on how Pro (aka new-ish technology) plays nice with a 5-10 year old server/database configuration.

I am fortunate to be able to work 'local' and not have to rely on any externalities...

You have clearly identified that it is an externality to your installation that is the problem

BobNutsch1
Occasional Contributor

I am of the same opinion, that ArcPro is more sensitive to network contention and storage performance compared to ArcMap/ArcCatalog.  Overall on any given day, the menus and windows IMO aren't as "crisp" or "quick" as we see in ArcMap (despite having a decently-configured PC with graphics card).  But when accessing fGDBs and models for example, from NAS storage and if at the same time the network and/or storage is having any performance issues, that speed degradation is much more noticeable, to the point that when I open a model on one monitor and while waiting for it to populate, or for a portion to be pasted from a copy operation, I go to the other monitor to answer an email.  A couple of times I have copied my fGDBs and models to my local drive to get the work done, and then copied over everything back to the NAS. 

Despite not yet having all of the ArcMap/ArcCatalog functionality into ArcPro, for the most part I like the layout and structure of the ArcPro menus and dialogs. I'm using it for all of my day-to-day work as much as I can. The performance issue of the menus does become a drag.  If the performance could become equal to or surpass that of ArcMap, maybe even up to the speed of QGIS menus, ArcPro would really rock. 

CurtisBradley
New Contributor II

I had the same issue with Pro being slow on my old computer and determined it was the outdated video card. Pro wants something with a least 4Gb of VRAM which is separate from CPU RAM. I purchased a new Dell XPS with a NVIDIA GTX 1050 video card (as well as 16Gb of CPU RAM) and now Pro runs MUCH faster.. 

MarcoBoeringa
MVP Regular Contributor

One particular problem I see is the continuous re-drawing taking place in the Map and Layout views. While Pro is multi-threaded and tasks like the drawing and interaction with other user interface components supposedly largely independent because of this, in reality the drawing taking place in the Map view heavily affects many parts of using the user interface, like the use of geoprocessing tools. I have seen already running tools more or less grind to a halt while the Map was still being refreshed, which with a complex map may actually take considerable time.

ericmeyers1
New Contributor III

I haven’t used Pro much, outside of 3 separate projects. I do like some of the new features but have found some limitations. I’ve also submitted a few bugs already to the ESRI team when using DBMS connections to SQL. I haven’t begun using it for expansive python testing/model building but will see what other issues I run into then. I will also keep in mind what you are saying about extensive TOC items within the map panel.

Eric Meyers

GIS Programmer, Business Analyst - City of Beaverton

12725 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton, OR 97076

p: 503.526.2404 | f: 503.526.3720

emeyers@beavertonoregon.gov

www.beavertonoregon.gov<http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/>

TrippCorbett
Esri Contributor

Hi Marco,

I ran across this thread while searching for something else and wanted to point you toward this thread: https://geonet.esri.com/ideas/12579-pause-drawing-in-arcgis-pro.  If you look down in the comments, there is a way to somewhat pause the drawing. 

Dev is considering a full pause option, but the majority of requests we've received around this are for 3D scenes rather than 2D maps, so I would weigh in on the other thread.  For 3D, there are other things you can do as well such as leveraging the new OGC i3s standard .slpk files, and setting reasonable visibility limits when working with heavyweight data so it's not trying to draw all of the time. GitHub - Esri/i3s-spec: This repository hosts the specification for Scene Layers which are container... 

Eric,

You can check your machine against what is recommended for Pro here: http://links.esri.com/run-arcgis-pro.

From my user's reported challenges, I know that if you don't have access to a GPU/Video card, your computer is going to be using CPU instead for everything at a poor rate of efficiency, which could be contributing to your experience.  If you're running in a Virtual Desktop Instance (VDI), shared GPU aka Virtual GPU (vGPU)=good.  XenApp, a VDI without vGPU, or a remote desktop to a VDI=bad.  This actually makes a big difference in performance.

I also wrote another GeoNet post here: https://community.esri.com/groups/sciences/blog/2017/04/07/best-practices-for-running-arcmaparcgis-d...  on how to get the best performance when running in Parallels if you're on a Mac.

As Dan mentioned above, network issues could be affecting things, so i3s might help you too.

Sorry I don't have any technical specifics or solutions for you.  I'm just an Account Manager who stumbled upon this thread and wanted to provide some info based on what some of my users have encountered.

Hope it helps you both,

-Tripp