Description

Following issues are occurring with an asynchronous data connection and concurrent user access in Composer from version 11.1:

• Cannot use GetExternalData lookup
• Only a small number of users can access server concurrently

Applies to

Composer 11.1 and above

Causes

• GetExternalData can only look up values from lists that have already been retrieved on form load.
• A large number of server calls 

Solution

1. Asynchronous Data Connections are a good fit for the majority of our customers. The speed increase for Form Load is large and noticeable.
2. Asynchronous Data Connections are a BAD fit for customers that are planning on having a LARGE number of concurrent users. This means 50+ users all loading a form at the EXACT same time.

If your scenario fits number 2 above, the additional speed increases from 10.x to 11.2 are significant enough that data connections should be left as Synchronous (just like 10.x).

Additional testing is on the way to help build further guardrails about when/how to most effectively utilize the new Asynchronous Data Connections, but if you have any specific questions related to your customer, please reach out to other Global Team members and a discussion can be had to determine the best possibility for our customer

Additional Information

NOTE: Concurrency is currently lacking in the initial Cloud release, even more so than the above mention, so potential Cloud customers are a more likely scenario to continue to use Synchronous Data Connections.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS:
1.    Synchronous Data Connection – A data connection added to your Composer Solution with the checkbox “checked” for Loading Data Every Time the Form is Opened

2.    Asynchronous Data Connection – A data connection added to your Composer Solution with the checkbox “unchecked” (the default when adding) for Loading Data Every Time the Form is Opened.