Repository Objects Caching

On Foresight Analytics Platform BI server work, extraction and storage of data required for web application work is made in BI server memory.

The system can be expanded by connecting additional (more powerful) servers with used for data extraction and caching from repository. BI server will request these BI servers and get the thread with required data without additional request to DBMS. To connect additional BI servers, fill in the Service section in the settings.xml file or in system registry settings.

To use dictionary or time series database caching:

Select the repository object in the object navigator.
Enable caching using the Cacheable Object checkbox on the Cache tab in the object properties.

After executing the operations, caching of the selected repository object is used.

When dictionaries and time series databases are cached, the system creates temporary copies of the object containing element attribute values and links to the used objects in RAM.

Caching of dictionaries and time series database is intelligent and available for a number of users if they have similar access permissions and use the same parameter values. Different values of dictionary parameters and time series database parameters can have several instances of the same object cached simultaneously.

To use regular report caching:

Select the repository object in the object navigator.
Enable caching by selecting the Object Cache context menu item.

After executing the operations, caching of the selected repository object is used.

When regular report caching is used, the system creates instances of the object opened with certain parameter values in the repository database. When an object is opened with parameters, the cache is checked for availability of a record corresponding to these parameters. If such a record is found, cached object version is extracted and opened. If no record is found for the specified parameters, the last object version is opened from the repository. All the objects, on which this object depends, are also opened.

Compiled versions of objects are cached for repository objects. Cache speeds up startup of forms and execution of application code during application projects work.

When compiling units/forms/assemblies, a file cache, which stores a compiled object version, is created on the local disk. When working in Linux OS, cache is located on the BI server in the subfolder opt/foresight/fp10.x-biserver/var/cache/AsmCache<number>/Mod/<repository ID>/<build number>. When working in Windows OS, cache is located by default in the user profile in the subfolder %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Foresight\Foresight Analytics Platform\AsmCache<number>\Mod\<repository ID>\<build number>. If required, file cache storage path can be changed. To do this, in the registry key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Foresight\Foresight Analytics Platform\10.0\10.9] create the CachefilePath string parameter and set up required path in it.

Recommendations:

Remember that a modified unit or form is saved when compiled from the development environment. After this it cannot be guaranteed that the previous platform version can open the saved unit or form.
Developed units and forms should be arranged and stored inside the assemblies. This reduces the number of created cache files, which reduces the number of file system calls and speeds up startup of cached objects.
Fore code changes made during user work will be applied only after unloading and repeated loading of complied assemblies. In case of event handler, one will need to close all objects, which use this handler, to apply new code.
Assemblies/units, which code uses static class fields, are unloaded only after exiting the repository, that is why one should log in to the repository again to apply code changes.
It is recommended to clear cache in the repository when there are no active users. This will prevent from unpredictable consequences.
When installing updates with selected Set Date Modified from the Update checkbox, one should force clear assembly cache on all BI servers. It is not recommended to use this setting during the update of development environment objects. It is related with the fact that compilation date and time are stored in assembly cache. To enable recompilation, date and time in cache should be earlier than date and time of object modification in the database. As the database stores time from the update, this condition may be impossible to fulfill.

Cache Clearing

Cache clearing helps avoiding the use of potentially outdated data. Depending on the operating system in use, there are different cache clearing options.

Linux Windows

To delete development environment object cache, delete files in the subfolder opt/foresight/fp10.x-biserver/var/cache/AsmCache<number>/Mod/<repository ID> of the required repository. Cache is cleared by the BI server administrator during system downtime and when there are no connected users.

To clear repository cache, select the Tools > Clear Cache item in the object navigator's main menu.

To clear cache of dictionaries and time series databases, click the Clear Cache button on the Cache tab in the object properties.

To clear regular report cache, click the Clear button in the Object Cache dialog box.

To clear development environment object cache, select the Repository > Clear Assembly Cache item in the security manager's main menu.

To work with cache of various objects in the Fore language, use properties and methods of the IMetabase, IMetabaseObject interfaces. To clear object cache, use the IMetabaseCache.FlushAll method.