11 Replies Latest reply on May 27, 2011 2:09 AM by maartenvanthof

    SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!

    J.VanDen
    J.VanDen Feb 24, 2011 4:01 PM

      Summary

      SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!

      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!

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        • 1. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
          philmodjunk
          philmodjunk Feb 24, 2011 4:59 PM (in response to J.VanDen)

          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.)

          • 2. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
            maartenvanthof
            maartenvanthof Feb 25, 2011 2:15 AM (in response to J.VanDen)

            @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.

            • 3. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
              maartenvanthof
              maartenvanthof Feb 25, 2011 4:47 AM (in response to J.VanDen)

              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.

              • 5. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
                TSGal
                TSGal Feb 25, 2011 10:56 AM (in response to J.VanDen)

                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.

                • 6. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
                  widget218
                  widget218 Feb 27, 2011 12:54 PM (in response to J.VanDen)

                  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.

                  • 7. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
                    TSGal
                    TSGal Feb 28, 2011 1:13 PM (in response to J.VanDen)

                    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.

                    • 8. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
                      J.VanDen
                      J.VanDen Feb 28, 2011 3:21 PM (in response to J.VanDen)

                      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

                      • 9. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
                        widget218
                        widget218 Mar 1, 2011 7:16 AM (in response to J.VanDen)

                        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?

                        • 10. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
                          Gregor
                          Gregor Mar 17, 2011 10:10 AM (in response to J.VanDen)

                          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".

                          • 11. Re: SQL memory leak makes FileMaker unusable!
                            maartenvanthof
                            maartenvanthof May 27, 2011 2:09 AM (in response to J.VanDen)

                            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.