A cache temporarily saves data in the internal memory of the server to increase performance.
Data that is used often is stored in the cache so that it can be retrieved quickly. When a user requests data that is in the cache, the data is displayed faster than if it were retrieved from the database. Focal Point uses different caches for different types of data: Expressions, Attribute Configurations, Settings, Attributes, Filters, Elements, Modules, and Workspaces. Algorithms determine the length of time that the data is stored in the cache.
Editing the cache
You can see the number of objects in the cache, display cache statistics, or clear the cache.
1 Click Administration from the User menu.
2 Click Advanced, and then click Cache.
3 Edit the cache by clicking the Usage bar.
These bars display the number of objects in each cache. To see the Focal Point number of objects and the percent of usage, hover the mouse pointer over each bar. The default value for each cache is set based on an average instance of Focal Point. The typical percent of usage is 90 - 95% for each cache. If you need help to determine the number of cached objects, contact support.
The cached objects consume memory. Ensure that you increase the upper limit for the cache based on your setup to avoid any memory exceptions.
4 To display statistics about the cache, click Details.
Property
Description
Hit Count
The number of times that data was requested and retrieved from the cache
Misses
The number of times that data was requested and retrieved from the database
Hit Rate
The hit rate percentage. At startup, the hit rate is 0%. After requests are made, the rate increases.
The cache also lists the number of entities, and the maximum number of that entity that can be stored in the cache. For example, for an attribute cache, the cache displays the following statistics: Hit count, Misses, Hit Rate, Number of Attribute Types in cache, and the Max Attribute Types in memory.
You can clear the cache by clicking Clear. The new data request is retrieved from the database; this request might take a long time.