Understanding the LimsCode Size Warning

Have you seen either of these warnings? A version of these messages originated with LIMS 2.0 in 1999, when personal computers had far less random access memory (RAM) than today’s typical workstation. However, these messages still serve a useful purpose.

The file LimsCode3.mde (LimsCode), which is the front-end database located on each LIMS workstation, contains the LIMS software, screens, and reports. LimsCode also includes many tables that temporarily maintain the results of data queried from LimsData and other data used by screens and report setup dialogs. With use, LimsCode will gradually increase in size as the system adds and later deletes data from its temporary records tables. A decade ago, such bloat could have a significant performance impact on less powerful PCs with little RAM. On today’s machines, the size of LimsCode will rarely have a noticeable effect.

Although the LimsCode size warning is harmless, you can control it by adjusting settings on the Workstation Configuration screen. First, enable both the “Compact LIMSCode at exit” and “Delete temporary records at exit” options at each LIMS workstation. These settings are enabled by default at installation but may have been disabled in the meantime.

You can also suppress the workstation’s LimsCode size warning by disabling the “Show ‘Compact’ startup warning” option. Alternatively, simply increase the setting’s default 15 MB warning threshold to 20 MB, for example, to minimize the warnings. With all three options enabled, persistent LimsCode size warnings may identify a problem with the workstation’s LimsCode file, which you can solve by simply replacing LimsCode with a fresh copy from the Setup folder.