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Tips for large databases

68 bytes added, 22:33, 2 November 2011
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Large data files, what to do, and what not to do.
==Loading the file==
 
For small files, you can work on GEDCOM or GRAMPS XML format. This works great.
 
However, these formats are completely loaded in your computer memory so, for larger files, this becomes slow and might bring your computer to a standstill.
Therefore, you should only handle large files by using the GRAMPS GRDB format. You do this by creating a new GRDB file and importing the large file into it. This can take a long time, so do it in the evenings! If you '''enable database transactions''' in the {{man menu|Edit->Preferences->General }} menu tab, the importing of data will then be much faster.
Also if you have a file that large it might be prudent to break up file into smaller pieces (i.e. Maternal & Paternal lines in different files, if they are not interrelated) so you only have to use a smaller file.
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== Default view: bookmarks and active person ==
 
As there are many people, loading the person view might take some time. See a comparison of [[GRAMPS Performance|performance]] on large datasets, between different GRAMPS versions.
== Avoid general filters ==
 
Filters search all the data looking for the people who satisfy your query. Try to avoid this on large files.
{{man tip|Search letters|Fast search can be done by enabling column search (disable {{man label|Sidebar}} on {{man labelmenu|View}} menu), but this will search all letters on words into the column, not only the first letters.}}
For a surname search:
* click on a person in the [[People screenshot|people view]]. Now start typing the family name of the person you need. The view will automatically go to the family name as you complete your typing.
* for a more detailed search, click ''use the keyboard shortcut {{man key press|CTRL-|F'' first}}. This will expand all the nodes and allows to search more specifically.
== Flat views are faster than Tree views ==
Using a large database and person treeview needs to often rebuild the view.
 
Flat person view (list) is faster.
== Please contribute ==
 
If you have more tips for working with large databases, please share them here.
[[Category:Documentation]]
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