Question

I have created a vb.net application that uses a SQL Server database at a remote location over the internet.

There are 10 vb.net clients that are working on the same time.

The problem is in the delay time that happens when inserting a new row or retrieving rows from the database, the form appears to be freezing for a while when it deals with the database, I don’t want to use a background worker to overcome the freeze problem.

I want to eliminate that delay time and decrease it as much as possible

Any tips, advises or information are welcomed, thanks in advance

Answer 1

Well, 2 problems:

The form appears to be freezing for a while when it deals with the database, I don’t want to use a background worker
to overcome the freeze problem.

Vanity, arroaance and reality rarely mix. ANY operation that takes more than a SHORT time (0.1-0.5 seconds) SHOULD run async, only way to kep the UI responsive. Regardless what the issue is, if that CAN take longer of is on an internet app, decouple them.

But:

The problem is in the delay time that happens when inserting a new records or retrieving records from the database,

So, what IS The problem? Seriously. Is this a latency problem (too many round trips, work on more efficient sql, batch, so not send 20 q1uestions waiting for a result after each) or is the server overlaoded – it is not clear from the question whether this really is a latency issue.

At the end:

I want to eliminate that delay time

Pray to whatever god you believe in to change the rules of physics (mostly the speed of light) or to your local physician tof finally get quantum teleportation workable for a low cost. Packets take time at the moment to travel, no way to change that.

Check whether you use too many ound trips. NEVER (!) use sql server remotely with SQL – put in a web service and make it fitting the application, possibly even down to a 1:1 match to your screens, so you can ask for data and send updates in ONE round trip, not a dozen. WHen we did something similar 12 years ago with our custom ORM in .NET we used a data access layer for that that acepted multiple queries in one run and retuend multiple result sets for them – so a form with 10 drop downs could ask for all 10 data sets in ONE round trip. If a request takes 0.1 seconds internet time – then this saves 0.9 seconds. We had a form with about 100 (!) round trips (creating a tree) and got that down to less than 5 – talk of “takes time” to “whow, there”. Plus it WAS async, sorry.

Then realize moving a lot of data is SLOW unless you have instant high bandwidth connections.

THis is exaclty what async is done for – if you have transfer time or latency time issues that can not be optimized, and do not want to use async, go on delivering a crappy experience.