Survey123 Connect Loading Surveys Slowly after update 3.12

[DanBihari]

Hello,

I recently upgraded Survey123 Connect to version 3.12.230.  I've unfortunately noticed a steep drop off in performance with this new version.

When I open an existing survey with this new version (3.12.230) it takes over 7.5 minutes.  Once that initial open is done and out of the way it then goes back to the normal ~5 - 10 seconds to load.

When editing my surveys, upon saving changes to the XLSForm it then takes over 2 minutes to reload the survey and my changes.  In the past this took at the most 10 - 15 seconds.

Any suggestions to help improve the performance of this latest version would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

~Dan

[DougBrowning]

The initial load delay is to be expected.  123 now loads all lists in the SQL DB on the tablet. This takes a bit on the first load - you should see it saying Optimizing Survey.  Once loaded we are seeing 40% to 400% reductions in form load time with big lists.  So big speed improvement for us.

See here for more on this  https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-survey123-blog/what-s-new-in-arcgis-survey123-february-2021/ba-...

On Android the storage has moved so that takes some time when you first install it as well.

In Connect I also see some slower loads while designing.  Again it is saying optimizing.  Its a bit of a pain but a small price to pay for the significant improvement to lists.

Hope that makes sense

[DanBihari]

Thank you for the explanation Doug.  I have notice an increase in the Field App performance.

It is worth it  The increase performance on the data collection side is much appreciated.

~Dan

[IsmaelChivite]

To add to @DougBrowning 's response, we are looking into this and looking for options to accelerate loading times in Connect.  We are happy with the speedy response in the mobile app once the indexes in SQLite are built, but we can also see the inconvenience of these indexes being rebuilt on every refresh operation during design. The slow down varies from computer to computer and we are not 100% if indexes account for all of it. We will soon release a new update to Connect where you will be able to deactivate the systematic refresh of the indexes when you reload the form. We would love to know if deactivating index updates makes a difference for you.

Below is how you can disable the index updates on every refresh. This will be available ONLY for build 3.12.232, which will be released shortly.

[IsmaelChivite · Accepted solution]

And the new build for Connect is now available! Details here: https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-survey123-blog/what-s-new-in-arcgis-survey123-march-2021/ba-p/1...

[DanBihari · Accepted solution]

Thank you Ismael for your response.  I have since updated to .232 and I've already noticed faster load times for those initial loads.  I'm not sure what was done but it has decreased the initial load time by more than half.

With all the improvements in functionality and performance, I'm not sure what we would do without Survey123.  This is great!

Thank you all so much.

[OussamaMerhi]

Hi,

i am using survey123 field application 3.13.234 i noticed that it is taking long time to upload a form in the draft also it is taking more time to upload a form on survey123 field application.

appreciate your advise

oussama

[Anonymous User]

Hi @OussamaMerhi,

Can you confirm you are using Survey123 Connect 3.13.239 and field app 3.13.234?

Can you also confirm that the upload time and opening a survey worked faster previously (ie 3.12 or earlier), or in which version did it work faster in?

Do you have any timing (number of seconds) and the difference between the app versions you noticed?

Can you share your XLSForm (xlsx file and media folder items) so we can take a closer look?

Regards,

Phil.

[OussamaMerhi]

Hi @Anonymous User 

Thank you Philip for your quick response. I am using connect 3.13.239 and field app 3.13.234. I noticed that connect is better than before. Regarding field app it is still very slow and in previous versions was better but i dont know exactly which one. recently i have added some more fields and hidden fields and I dont know if this is affecting the performance. find attached my media and xls form

Regards,

Oussama

[Anonymous User]

Hi @OussamaMerhi,

I checked your survey and the load times in 3.12, 3.13 and 3.14 beta. They are all similar and expected due to the large number of questions, and more importantly the large numebr of expressions, relevant and calculations, this is what causes the slow loading time. 

If you are seeing a difference recently, compared to earlier, I believe it is related to adding more hidden fields and additional expressions, that are taking longer to load now.

Regards,

Phil.