Slow preview display in ArcMap or ArcCatalog of rasters stored in a geodatabase

Description

In ArcGIS, previewing a raster dataset stored in a geodatabase takes longer than when the raster is in a file system.

Cause

There are three likely causes for this problem:

· The raster is stored in the geodatabase without pyramid layers. Each time the client submits a query, the server has to look up the whole extent to find the correct tiles; this can be a slow process.

· The network connection is slow.

· If using an Oracle database, the tables may not have been properly analyzed. The Oracle optimizer will subsequently take longer to locate the records in the block table.

Solution or Workaround

• The raster is stored in the geodatabase without pyramid layers: Select the Build Pyramids option when loading the raster into the geodatabase.
• The network connection is slow: Increase the network connection speed by optimizing the server or upgrading the network hardware.
• Using an Oracle database: Always analyze the raster tables after loading into the Oracle database.