================================================================= Q&A 4.0 Technical Application Note Optimizing Q&A 4.0 ================================================================= Q&A 4.0 is the largest and most full-featured version to date. Because of its power, Q&A 4.0 requires more from your computer system compared to earlier versions of the program. This note is designed to give you ideas on how to optimize the performance of Q&A 4.0. ***HARDWARE CONSIDERATIONS*** The major factor affecting the performance of Q&A 4.0 is your computer hardware. The faster your computer, the quicker Q&A operates. Though Q&A 4.0 will work on any IBM compatible computer, we recommend using it on the fastest machine your resources allow. Below is a chart showing the relative speed of microprocessors used in PC's. PC-XT PC-AT/286 386SX 386 486SX 486 SLOWER --+-------+----------+--------+----------+-----+- -FASTER If you are not sure what kind of microprocessor your computer has, press [CTRL + F3] at Q&A's Main Menu to display the system information. Line 8 will show you the type of microprocessor used. Along with the microprocessor, the speed of your computer's hard drive and memory chips, and the use of a disk and/or RAM cache can also affect the performance of Q&A. Consult your local dealer for more information on these options. ***MEMORY USAGE*** Most PC's have 640K of conventional memory. Within this area of memory, your computer tries to load DOS, application programs like Q&A, and TSR's (Terminate and Stay Resident programs) like a mouse or network driver. In order for Q&A to work effectively, your computer system must have at least 484K of memory available after loading DOS and any TSR's. To check the available memory on your computer, press CTRL F3 at Q&A's Main Menu. Line 14 of the System Information screen will display the amount of memory DOS and TSR's are using, and how much is left for Q&A. Even if your system does have the minimum memory necessary for Q&A, it is advisable to free up as much conventional memory as possible. Q&A will use up all available conventional memory, and if it requires more, it will create temporary "memory" files on your hard disk. The more memory you have, the less often Q&A will need to use your hard drive (which takes longer to process information). Therefore, you should avoid loading any unnecessary files on your system prior to loading Q&A. Q & A Application Note Rev. 6/92 #2013 Page 1 of 3 ***MEMORY MANAGERS*** On PC's with 1 megabyte or more of RAM, you can use utilities within DOS 5.0 and Windows 3.0, memory managers like QEMM or device drivers included with expanded memory cards to provide extra memory. Q&A 4.0 will automatically make use of up to 256K of expanded memory which conforms to LIM EMS standard 3.2 or 4.0. An additional benefit of a memory manager is its ability to load DOS and TSR's into higher memory areas, thus freeing up more room in the lower 640k of memory, which Q&A can use. Consult your local dealer for more information on memory manager programs and what will work best with your system and applications. ***DATABASE DESIGN AND LONG TERM USE*** Poor database design is probably the most common cause of speed degradation when using Q&A. You'll notice this when attempting to search, sort or add new records to your database. If your database appears to be sluggish, try these suggestions: 1. Keep your design as simple as practical. If your database is longer than 3 pages in design, you might consider re-thinking your approach to how you store your information. It's likely that if you have too much information in one database, you would be better off creating multiple databases and linking them together. Consult the User Manual and Application Programming Tools Manual for examples on how to link databases together using File Post or the XLOOKUP function in programming. 2. Archive old or useless data. The larger your database, the longer it will take for Q&A to retrieve individual records. If your database contains old or infrequently accessed records, you should copy them out to another file. 3. Use Speed-up Fields. If you use specific fields to retrieve your information by, you should consider using speed-up fields. By putting a speed-up spec in a field of your database, Q&A creates a separate "index" with just that field's information. This greatly enhances the speed of Q&A when it searches for records, hence the name speed-up field. Consult the User Manual for more information. 4. Use Speed-up fields correctly. Don't go overboard with speed-up fields. If you use too many (more than 5 or so), you may notice your database takes longer to save new data to the file. Also, try to limit speed-up specs to fields that contain non-repetitive values (avoid blank fields) or key fields that are used with XLOOKUP or Posting. 5. Unteach the Intelligent Assistant from your file if you don't use it. If you used the Intelligent Assistant (IA) on your database and decided not to use it anymore, make a copy of your data file without the IA. You can do this through the File Copy menu. Copy the Design Only and then Copy Selected Records. Q & A Application Note Rev. 6/92 #2013 Page 2 of 3 6. Compress your database. Over time, after adding and deleting many records, your database can become fragmented (literally scattered all over your hard disk drive). The more fragmented your data file, the longer it will take your computer to gather all the data and display it on your screen. To compress your file back into one "chunk," use Recover in the File Utilities. Make sure to follow all directions for Recover carefully. 7. Update your database after redesigning a file. Whenever you redesign and then add new records, you are creating records of different "generations" within your database. Having multiple generations in a database can sometimes cause sluggishness when performing certain routine functions. To recompile your database so that all the records are of the same generation, Mass Update your entire file with a blank Update spec. ***NETWORK USERS*** If you use Q&A in a Network environment, there are many additional factors which affect the performance of Q&A. Local Area Networks (LAN's) are made up of cabling systems, LAN operating software and associated hardware that allows each of your computers to "talk to" each other or to the main file server. If you're planning a LAN system, you must consider the number of users you want tied into the LAN, the intensity of usage by your users and the application programs to be run, before you invest in any type of LAN hardware and software. A local LAN specialist can help you design a system most suitable to your budget and needs. Q&A 4.0 is designed to work with any LAN system and software that is 100% DOS compatible. You should not see much of a difference in operation speed if you have taken the appropriate steps to design your LAN system. If you have any questions on what networks have been tested and used with Q&A, contact Q&A Technical Support for more information. ***OTHER CONSIDERATIONS*** There are a number of outstanding utilities programs that help you optimize the performance of your computer system. The Norton Utilities v. 6.0 can improve the performance of any hard disk by unfragmenting files, calibrating the speed of the drive and by setting up a disk cache to simulate additional memory for your system. Contact your local Symantec dealer for more information on The Norton Utilities. Q & A Application Note Rev. 6/92 #2013 Page 3 of 3