Troubleshooting ILLiad Client Slowness

This article will provide troubleshooting information to help identify and resolve issues that may be causing slowness in the ILLiad Client when loading forms, processing requests, or performing other functions.

Routing Rules Syntax | Addons | Z39.50 Search | Old Staff User Accounts | High Memory Usage by Other Applications | Troubleshooting Network Issues

Possible Issue #1 - Routing Rules Syntax

Your routing rules configured in the ILLiad Customization Manager under System | Routing | Routing may cause performance issues in the ILLiad Client if they:

• Contain SQL syntax errors leading to increased memory usage in the Client
• Contain Match Strings using subselects to query a large amount of data

Common SQL Syntax Errors

Small errors in punctuation that cause increased memory usage and lead to slowness issues may go unnoticed as they generally do not cause the rule to break. Therefore, it is a good idea to review all of the routing rules you have configured to ensure that they do not contain any of these common errors:

Error 1: Missing Quotation Marks

Closing quotation marks should be placed at the end of a string of text:

t.RequestType = 'Loan

t.RequestType = 'Loan'

Error 2: Missing Parentheses

Closing parentheses should be placed at the end of a list:

t.DocumentType in ('Manual', 
'Journal','Book'

t.DocumentType in ('Manual', 
'Journal','Book')

Error 3: Using Double Quotes

Single quotation marks should be used instead of double quotation marks:

t.RequestType = "Loan"

t.RequestType = 'Loan'

Possible Issue #2 - Addons

When a request form is opened, any active addons with an Auto Search feature configured will search and wait for a return of results before displaying the form. If a large number of these addons are installed, more time may be needed to process and return the search results, leading to slowness in displaying the request form. To troubleshoot this issue:

• Staff should go to System > Manage Addons in the ILLiad Client and set the Active status of any unused addons to No
• On the same screen, check each Active addon to see if any have an AutoSearch setting and consider turning this off if the addon's search results are not regularly accessed

Possible Issue #3 - Z39.50 Search

If the Z39.50 interface is used and an automatic Default Search has been configured for its search profile in the ILLiad Customization Manager, consider if this search is producing too many results and affecting the time it takes to load the request form in the Client. For example, since a Default Search on the Keyword parameter is not very specific and may return many unnecessary results, you can try setting the Default Search to Title instead.

If staff members are not using the Z39.50 search results, make sure the Default Search is set to [Not Specified] in the Customization Manager so that the search is not occurring for each request opened in the Client. 

Possible Issue #4 - Old Staff User Accounts

Perform a review of your staff user accounts in the ILLiad Staff Manager and consider removing any old or unused accounts. Each staff user account is associated with a set of layout records that tell the Client how to display each Client form as it opens. Each time any staff user opens a form in the Client, the Client must query all staff layout records to find the right one to use. If old staff accounts are still present, the number of layout records that the Client has to query will be unnecessarily large and may lead to slowness issues displaying forms. Removing old staff accounts is also a best practice to avoid the chance of security issues. 

To delete a staff user:

1. Open the ILLiad Staff Manager
2. Within the Users tab, click on the entry in the grid for the account you'd like to delete
3. Click Delete User
4. Click Yes in the Confirm User Delete popup to confirm your decision
5. Repeat for all unused staff accounts

Possible Issue #5 - High Memory Usage by Other Applications

In some cases, slowness issues in the ILLiad Client may be caused by other applications running on your workstation. For example, web browser applications such as Google Chrome or Firefox may use an excessive amount of the available memory on your computer if a large number of tabs are left open in your browser window(s). To troubleshoot this issue:

1. Open the Task Manager application on your computer
2. Within the Processes tab, review the memory usage of your currently running applications
3. Close applications using an excessive amount of memory. If the application is a web browser, close any unnecessary tabs open in your browser window
4. Check to see if the ILLiad Client still experiences slowness issues after the tabs/application(s) are closed

Troubleshooting Network Issues 

Client slowness may also be caused by a network issue affecting connectivity to the ILLiad database on your server. Your IT team can use the troubleshooting guide below to assist with identifying and resolving these types of issues:

• Troubleshooting Potential Network Security Issues:
  Many modern security appliances act as transparent proxies, analyzing data for potential threats. This type of analysis can impact the flow of SQL data between your Client and the database. Creating exceptions specifically for trusted SQL servers can remove overhead that could be responsible for latency.
• Troubleshooting Potential Endpoint Security Issues:
  Like network security, many institutions implement robust security applications on individual computers. These applications can also include network filters which have the potential to affect performance when accessing SQL data. Creating exceptions or whitelists similar to those noted in the section above can also be beneficial in treating these issues.
• Troubleshooting Potential Traffic Shaping & QoS Issues:
  Your IT department may employ technologies to prioritize different types of network traffic. Making adjustments to prioritize SQL traffic to the IPs and TCP port of the server hosting your database may improve responsiveness.