Latency and Speed

Randy Cameron

Have become unbearable on Smartsheets. Perhaps the program is limited to small applications. Regardless, I have gond back to Excel. I use IE and Edge. I have found that Chrome is faster, but it has other problems.  I do not have the time in myh life to watch a non-responsive product.

JamesR

Randy,

This is a problem and does need to be addressed.  However it can be avoided if a full analysis and design process for what you are trying to create is done with the knowm limitations of Smartsheet in mind.

Extract from Help:

Sheet and File Size Limitations

Smartsheet has set size limits on both your sheets and the files you import to ensure you experience the best performance of our application.

Size limit for your sheets:

• Maximum rows: 5,000
• Maximum columns: 200
• Maximum cells: 200,000

Size limit when importing files:

• Max rows: 5,000
• Max columns: 200

On top of these you need to take into account the overhead of calculations, cell linking and conditional formatting.  All of which impact on latancy and speed.

 

Generally as you say Chrome is the better Browser, however Edge does deal with larger sheets slightly better if you are nearing capasity.

J. Craig Williams

James,

 

While I tend to agree that good design can reduce the problems, we (the users) typically don't have the tools to adequately test and prepare said sheets except through trial-and-error.

 

I typically run into problems far before the limits of row, columns, or cells.

The first symptom? A deletion of a row results in the inability to save the sheet.

Thanks. NOW WHAT?

 

Today, I had added a few columns to a sheet, not realizing I was close the (hard) limits.

I could not delete a check box column. At all.

But I could delete a text/number column and then the check box column and then add the text/number column back in. That was 20 minutes to figure out.

 

Simple things like showing how many columns are in use (process now: export as Excel, transpose the header, and look at the row number), how many cells are in use,

how many rows are in use (instead of scrolling down).

 

If I add column, tell me "this is your 183rd column, beware".

 

More difficult things like timing that can be accessed by the user.

It took 37 seconds to open the Find dialog today. I used a stop watch.

(Of course, turn that off normally because just timing it will make is slower. The Observer Effect results in the system being slower because we want to time it)

 

When working with large sheets, I tend to multi-task because of speed issues, which results in further decreased productivity but at least I feel like I'm doing something useful.

 

Craig

 

 

Michael Müller

Yes, speed and latency is a problem. If there is no technical leap for Smartsheet SaaS in sight, we would need a server based solution in house, with a SaaS extension for external workers.

 

Michael

JamesR

Craig,

 

Yes I am with you all the way,  A big one I am comming accross at the moment is Calculations getting un alinged and therefore addressing the wrong cells.

 

I have found two occassions on larger sheets when this is a risk:

1 - It take more than one go to save it

2 - When you Move to anther sheet.  This is particullaly high risk if you filter to identify the rows you want to move and then move them with the filter still applied.

 

This last one caused me to have to re copy all Calculations down in every calculated column of a sheet, cost me 2 hours of my time identifying the issue, un hiding all columns and the individually coppying the formulae down.  Re hiding all the rows.

 

J. Craig Williams

James,

 

Yes, I had a project sheet that I could not move rows within the sheet without the formulas being screwed up. Took me a day to unravel that.

 

"Save often, no, that's not often enough" can be taxing on the nerves.

 

Craig

Rob Hagan

I would like to provide some further empirical feedback on the sheet limitations given by SmartSheet.

 

We have one or more sheets for each of our 50 or so projects. Every such sheet is always 56 columns wide. Every such sheet has identical layout, format and sets of formulas. Just one of those forumulas is close to the hard limit of 4,000 characters (information provided by SmartSheet Support), whereas the other formulas have around 300 characters.

 

Given the above, we start hitting the "Can't connect to the Internet" error (and therefore can't save any modifications to a sheet) when we get over about 600 rows, which is only 10% or so of the maximum number of rows.

 

Consequently, we now split project plans over a number of sheets in a project in order to have any chance of reliable performance. Unfortunately, the breakups are sometimes not sensible or logical fragmentations of the overall plan.

 

This puts us "between a rock and a hard place".

 

I concur with all of the comments above on operational difficulties, as we experience them too. It appears to me that the point at which SmartSheet breaks is a more complex function of columns, rows, conditional formats and, from my perspective, number, size and complexity of formulas. I would hope that the SmartSheet developers can work out an algorithm for this and give us that much needed advice, "You are approaching the Danger Zone, back away, back away..." in a timely manner.

 

Rob.

Roland Horwood

Hi all,

 

I'm hitting the limits, and having to be very choosy about adding any extra columns to our master roll-up project sheet. However, if I stay below the limits what is the best way to improve responsiveness? Network speed? Internet connection? RAM, CPU? Any experience or views on this?

 

Regards - Roland

J. Craig Williams

I have a new sheet that appears to be hitting the limits.

Cell count is about 65% of the limit, but there are some complicated formulas.

 

 

I need some warning before the whole system just stops working.

 

Craig