Troubleshooting Common GEOVIA InSite Database Questions

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Today we address some commonly asked questions regarding GEOVIA InSite, specifically what client IT teams and database administrators can do to troubleshoot InSite for better general performance. First of all, to understand how InSite and its mandatory components work and collaborate, we need to understand the following definitions.

Key InSite Components

  • InSite Application Server: Hosts the Internet Services (IIS) and the InSite Reporting Services (SSRS)
  • InSite Database Server (SQL Server): Hosts InSite Operation database (InSite Web/Client Application data), InSite Data Warehouse database (to store the data from InSite to be used on BI solution), SSRS database (reporting data) and InSite Configuration database (store connection string details)

    Note: this server also hosts SQL Server Agent job (SQL Server) to process changes in the InSite database, and keep the Data Warehouse up-to-date.

  • InSite Analysis Server (SSAS): Hosts InSite Cube (SSAS) on Analysis Services and SQL Server Integration Services packages to perform the extract, transform, and load process from the InSite operational database to the Data Warehouse [ETL on Integration Services (SSIS)

Key InSite Applications:

  • InSite Configuration tool (Client Application/Desktop) to manage, monitor, and log the ETL job and processing of the cube
  • InSite Data Entry (Client Application/Desktop) is a stand-alone desktop application that allows the manual entering of data into InSite. When the data is submitted, it follows the same verification and validation pathways as data that has come from external systems. Data is accepted or rejected, and downstream calculation errors can be reported depending on the quality of the data.
  • InSite Data Management (Client Application/Desktop) is also a stand-alone desktop application that is used to perform InSite operations that are not available in the InSite web application. In future releases, Data Management will be fully incorporated into the web application and there will no longer be a desktop application.
  • InSite Web (IIS) is a web interface that users will mainly use to check, inspect and updated data according to their business solution via core modules available.

 

 

Improving Speed of Client Applications

Sometimes, client applications can experience slowing down and it may be worth asking yourself the following questions:

  • The hardware being used, for example: does it meet the minimum system requirements?
  • The network speed, the number of users on the servers (App Server, Database Server);
  • The type of server set up, for example: is it a single server installation, or is it a split server installation (App Server, DCS Server, SQL Server, and Reporting Server)?;
  • The query being processed, for example, will the query result in a large number of records?

As part of the InSite implementation, a GEOVIA consultant will provide a tailored onsite training for client’s site IT personnel, which will depend on their technical skill and the business requirements and process. The InSite GEOVIA InSite “System Administration and Performance Monitoring” document can be used as the reference guide.

There are many tools that can be used to help with the investigation. When the subject is performance, as mentioned above regarding the possible causes, the preliminary actions the client’s IT should check would be:

  • The InSite servers (Application, Database, Report and DCS) specs: it should match at least with the minimum recommended in “InSite <version> System Requirements.pdf” document part of InSite installation documents.
  • The user’s PC specs, also informed in “InSite <version> System Requirements.pdf”.
  • When there is a performance issue we need to confirm that it is also reproduced on client’s Test server in order to confirm that it is not a Server related issue;
    *There is always a possibility that the performance matter can be an environment issue. 
  • InSite code malfunction or SQL query not optimized enough. The GEOVIA technical team will need to be involved to troubleshoot it.

Improving Speed of the Web Application

There are many factors that may cause slowing down in the InSite web application, namely:

  • Dynamic compression is not enabled;
    Note: For more information, please see  our previous blog.
  • Busy or overloaded SQL server;
  • Database locks: According to Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), a database deadlock is a cyclic dependency between two or more processes, for some set of resources within SQL Server;
    In a highly concurrent system, some locks are inevitable but it is possible to minimize them. There are some tools in SQL management studio that can assist the DBA to troubleshoot it.

For more information on InSite troubleshooting, you can refer back to the System Administration and Performance Monitoring PDF as part of the Tutorial documents kit for InSite. Alternatively, please contact our GEOVIA Support team if you need to request this document for your implemented version of InSite.

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Mariana Nobile

Mariana Nobile

Technical Customer Support Consultant Mining, GEOVIA at Dassault Systèmes
Mariana Nobile has over 10 years’ experience in the mining industry, specifically providing technical software support to a range of customers, managing change deliveries, and assessing and testing pre-release products and improvements. Mariana is a subject matter expert for GEOVIA InSite, a production management tool. Based in Brisbane, Australia, she is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.