Fastest way to load or cache from an extremely slow API?

Question

My WPF project utilizes the iTunes API. At start-up time, there's several background threads that work to load the iTunes library from the API into memory (this is for performance reasons once the app is running).

However, loading the library is painfully slow. On the order of nearly three minutes.

Most recently I've tried saving the library to a DataSet so load times would be quicker and I could just update the DataSet in the background once the app is running, however this did not really work either. It wouldn't properly save the DataSet.

I've also tried using a local MDF database, but that went wrong for reasons I can't remember either.

I think the main sticking point is that I need to save the iTunesLib.IITTrack COM object.

My question is, I guess, do you guys have any ideas on how I can load this library more quickly? I'm running out of ideas.

Answer 1

However, loading the library is painfully slow. On the order of nearly three minutes.

Something is wrong with that loading time, I suggest you profile the code and find the problem, it's way above normal, either it's a bug in your code or in iTunes api.

I don't know about iTunes api, but becaust it's a COM api try to set the loading thread Tread.ApartmentState to STA, in case the iTunes api doesn't use a MTA thread (which is default for .net threads)

Answer 2

It has been my experience that the loading from the iTunes COM interface is a slow process. I've found that iTunes itself was the bottle neck and there isn't much that can be done.