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SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!

Question asked by J.VanDen on Feb 24, 2011
Latest reply on May 27, 2011 by maartenvanthof

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Comment • 11

Summary

Product

FileMaker Pro

Version

11.0v2 and 11.0v3

Operating system version

Windows Server 2008 R2

Description of the issue

Our application features a calendar (Fusion calendar plugin) which polls FileMaker via SQL for updated appointment information. Even just opening the program without any other activity, this results in a continuous increase in memory usage. Active use of the system accelerates the memory usage. Our application is hosted on a server and individual users increase their memory usage from 150 MB to over 1 GB sometimes within 1-2 hrs. This results in errors, application crash and finally server crash. I have seen other reports on the forum about this memory leak in FileMaker when using SQL going back to May 2010! We now have a very serious and untenable situation with not just unhappy, but angry custumors who depend on the application for their daily work schedule as well as financial administration and billing. Help is needed ASAP!!!

Steps to reproduce the problem

See other posts. Apparently, just running an sql query will do this. In our case, this is done by the Fusion calendar plugin.

Exact text of any error message(s) that appear

No error message at first. Everything works fine, except memory usage increases continuously. This then results in slowdown, a variety of errors and crash.

Workaround

Stopping the database and restarting purges the memory. This is not even a workaround, but an emergency measure. Not a workable situation!

No one else has this question

Outcomes

philmodjunk Feb 24, 2011 4:59 PM

Please compare what you are experiencing to this previously logged report and let us know if it looks like the same issue or not: FileMaker Server

This is one of many acknowledged bugs that can be found in the Known Bug List here in the Report an Issue section of the forum.

It can also be downloaded as a database file from: http://www.4shared.com/file/8orL8apk/FMP_Bugs.html

Also, FileMaker released an ODBC/JDBC updater that is supposed to cure "some memory leaks" (though not the above issue.) Have you downloaded and installed it? (Not part of the v3 updater, it's a separate download.)

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maartenvanthof Feb 25, 2011 2:15 AM

@PhilModJunk. THis is not the same problem i think, but the behavior is about the same.

This bug is not in the FMP_Bugs datafile.

It is the same as http://forums.filemaker.com/posts/14eb655faa.

The problem is platform independent. We have found it with our clients at different platforms from Mac to Windows XP and Up. Also in Advanced, Pro and runtime.

We also use Fusion Calendar and we and our clients are severely handicapped by this Bug.

The Fusion Calendar looks for update at a short interval. In our case the memory use is increasing in a rate of 1 Mb a minute and the user is not doing anything. If the user scrolls thru the weeks in the calendar the increase can be as much as 20 Mb per action.

This can go on until Filemaker runs out of available memory and then it crashes. Sometimes corrupting the database and the client looses information.

The guys at Fusion (Reactron NZ) are working on a workaround, but they are severely handicapped by the earthquake early this week and it is after all a Filemaker bug.

Actions

maartenvanthof Feb 25, 2011 4:47 AM

I have done some test with FM10.

The same behavior and the same speed of increased memory use. The test was on the Mac platform, OS 10.6.6

So this bug is as old as FM 10.

Actions

TSGal Feb 25, 2011 10:56 AM

All:

A memory leak issue does exist when using ODBC with FileMaker Pro/Server as we recently replicated the problem on a consistent basis (thanks to customer files and logs). Our Development department is investigating this, but no additional information is available at this time.

TSGal
FileMaker, Inc.

Actions

widget218 Feb 27, 2011 12:54 PM

Hello TSGal,

I know no additional information is available at this time. However as this is a grave and crippling issue, could an exception be made and a guess perhaps be hazarded by the developers perhaps as to when his bug may perhaps be fixed?

Thanks.

Actions

TSGal Feb 28, 2011 1:13 PM

widget218:

Thank you for your post.

Since FileMaker, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple Computer, we are not to discuss future releases. I can only verify that the problem is now reproducible and has been sent to Development.

TSGal
FileMaker, Inc.

Actions

J.VanDen Feb 28, 2011 3:21 PM

Hello TS Gal,

That is disappointing. It doesn't matter to me who you are a subsidiary of. All we want is a progress update on fixing this bug since we have an acute and untenable situation here vis a vis our customers. They and we need to know if we're looking at days, weeks or months before this is fixed. Your product is at the heart of our business, and our business is under a lot of pressure at the moment because of an issue with your product. If this issue cannot be solved in a time frame that we can survive, then we have to set things in motion to move our database to another platform ASAP. At this point, it's not just a nuisance, it's about making sure our business survives. I hope you can appreciate this.

Actions

widget218 Mar 1, 2011 7:16 AM

I agree that this es very annoying. With a bug in this category:

- crippling

- kills production

- is reproducible

- mega annoying

The Developer *should* be asked for a timeframe, whether he likes it or not. Im a developer too, and "its finished when its finished"! YES. But here a guessimate would be nice and if I was the developer I would certainly have understanding for that!

Question for Mr. Van Den: If I simply connect from Filemaker to a simple SQL Datasource via the "External Data Sources" menu and then I just import a table; am I likely to then suffer this leak?

Actions

Gregor Mar 17, 2011 10:10 AM

Since the squeaky wheel gets the kick (or replaced), just adding another voice that this is a serious issue that needs addressed, and is not "Risk Level: Low".

Actions

maartenvanthof May 27, 2011 2:09 AM

After the recent ODBC update, which mention that the SQL leak was solved, we hoped it would also be solved for our problem. Not so. It is still there. We do not use ODBC but the API for the plugin.

This is for us and other users of plugins who uses SQL a major problem.

If I look at this forum this problem is more than a year old.

Please solve this.

Actions

11 Replies

philmodjunk Feb 24, 2011 4:59 PM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Please compare what you are experiencing to this previously logged report and let us know if it looks like the same issue or not: FileMaker Server

This is one of many acknowledged bugs that can be found in the Known Bug List here in the Report an Issue section of the forum.

It can also be downloaded as a database file from: http://www.4shared.com/file/8orL8apk/FMP_Bugs.html

Also, FileMaker released an ODBC/JDBC updater that is supposed to cure "some memory leaks" (though not the above issue.) Have you downloaded and installed it? (Not part of the v3 updater, it's a separate download.)
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
maartenvanthof Feb 25, 2011 2:15 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
@PhilModJunk. THis is not the same problem i think, but the behavior is about the same.

This bug is not in the FMP_Bugs datafile.

It is the same as http://forums.filemaker.com/posts/14eb655faa.

The problem is platform independent. We have found it with our clients at different platforms from Mac to Windows XP and Up. Also in Advanced, Pro and runtime.

We also use Fusion Calendar and we and our clients are severely handicapped by this Bug.

The Fusion Calendar looks for update at a short interval. In our case the memory use is increasing in a rate of 1 Mb a minute and the user is not doing anything. If the user scrolls thru the weeks in the calendar the increase can be as much as 20 Mb per action.

This can go on until Filemaker runs out of available memory and then it crashes. Sometimes corrupting the database and the client looses information.

The guys at Fusion (Reactron NZ) are working on a workaround, but they are severely handicapped by the earthquake early this week and it is after all a Filemaker bug.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
maartenvanthof Feb 25, 2011 4:47 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
I have done some test with FM10.

The same behavior and the same speed of increased memory use. The test was on the Mac platform, OS 10.6.6

So this bug is as old as FM 10.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
maartenvanthof Feb 25, 2011 5:01 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
See also http://forums.filemaker.com/posts/5200b4a528
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TSGal Feb 25, 2011 10:56 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
All:

A memory leak issue does exist when using ODBC with FileMaker Pro/Server as we recently replicated the problem on a consistent basis (thanks to customer files and logs). Our Development department is investigating this, but no additional information is available at this time.

TSGal
FileMaker, Inc.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
widget218 Feb 27, 2011 12:54 PM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Hello TSGal,

I know no additional information is available at this time. However as this is a grave and crippling issue, could an exception be made and a guess perhaps be hazarded by the developers perhaps as to when his bug may perhaps be fixed?

Thanks.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
TSGal Feb 28, 2011 1:13 PM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
widget218:

Thank you for your post.

Since FileMaker, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple Computer, we are not to discuss future releases. I can only verify that the problem is now reproducible and has been sent to Development.

TSGal
FileMaker, Inc.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
J.VanDen Feb 28, 2011 3:21 PM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Hello TS Gal,

That is disappointing. It doesn't matter to me who you are a subsidiary of. All we want is a progress update on fixing this bug since we have an acute and untenable situation here vis a vis our customers. They and we need to know if we're looking at days, weeks or months before this is fixed. Your product is at the heart of our business, and our business is under a lot of pressure at the moment because of an issue with your product. If this issue cannot be solved in a time frame that we can survive, then we have to set things in motion to move our database to another platform ASAP. At this point, it's not just a nuisance, it's about making sure our business survives. I hope you can appreciate this.

J
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
widget218 Mar 1, 2011 7:16 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
I agree that this es very annoying. With a bug in this category:

- crippling

- kills production

- is reproducible

- mega annoying

The Developer *should* be asked for a timeframe, whether he likes it or not. Im a developer too, and "its finished when its finished"! YES. But here a guessimate would be nice and if I was the developer I would certainly have understanding for that!

Question for Mr. Van Den: If I simply connect from Filemaker to a simple SQL Datasource via the "External Data Sources" menu and then I just import a table; am I likely to then suffer this leak?
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
Gregor Mar 17, 2011 10:10 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Since the squeaky wheel gets the kick (or replaced), just adding another voice that this is a serious issue that needs addressed, and is not "Risk Level: Low".
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
maartenvanthof May 27, 2011 2:09 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
After the recent ODBC update, which mention that the SQL leak was solved, we hoped it would also be solved for our problem. Not so. It is still there. We do not use ODBC but the API for the plugin.

This is for us and other users of plugins who uses SQL a major problem.

If I look at this forum this problem is more than a year old.

Please solve this.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions

SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!

Summary

Product

Version

Operating system version

Description of the issue

Steps to reproduce the problem

Exact text of any error message(s) that appear

Workaround

Outcomes

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