Performance Tuning

Architecture-level strategies for optimising SuiteCRM 7 in large dataset or high-concurrency environments. For quick configuration wins that apply to any instance, see the Performance Tweaks page.

SuiteCRM 7 performance is heavily influenced by database indexing, PHP resource management, and the efficiency of the metadata-driven query engine. Use these strategies to optimize your instance for production.

1. Database Indexing via Vardefs

The most common cause of slow List Views and Reports is missing database indices. While you can add indices directly in MySQL, doing so via Vardefs ensures they are upgrade-safe and recognized by the SuiteCRM Repair system.

Adding a Custom Index

Add the following to custom/Extension/modules/<Module>/Ext/Vardefs/your_index.php:

$dictionary['<Module>']['indices'][] = array(
    'name' => 'idx_custom_field_search',
    'type' => 'index',
    'fields' => array('your_custom_field_c'),
);

Run a Quick Repair and Rebuild and execute the generated SQL to apply the index.

2. Optimizing the "Tracker" Tables

SuiteCRM tracks every user action in the tracker table. Over time, this table can grow to millions of rows, slowing down every database transaction.

Pruning: Use the Prune Database scheduler in Admin > Schedulers to keep tracker data for only 30-60 days.
Selective Tracking: Disable tracking for modules that don’t require audit trails in Admin > Tracker.

3. PHP & OpCache Configuration

SuiteCRM 7 loads hundreds of PHP files per request. Without proper caching, the server spends more time reading files than executing code.

Recommended `php.ini` Settings

opcache.memory_consumption=256
opcache.interned_strings_buffer=16
opcache.max_accelerated_files=20000
opcache.revalidate_freq=60
opcache.fast_shutdown=1

Memory Limit: Set memory_limit to at least 512M.
Post Max Size: Ensure post_max_size and upload_max_filesize are aligned (e.g., 30M) to prevent crashes during large imports.

4. Reducing List View Overhead

The SuiteCRM List View performs a COUNT(*) query to calculate pagination. On large tables (e.g., 1M+ Leads), this can take seconds.

Disable Count Queries: In config_override.php, set 'disable_count_query' ⇒ true. This replaces the total record count with "1-20 of many" but significantly speeds up page loads.
Subpanel Sub-query Limit: Limit the number of records fetched in subpanels:

$sugar_config['subpanel_res_items_limit'] = 10;

5. External Caching (Redis/Memcached)

By default, SuiteCRM uses the file system for caching (cache/ directory). In high-traffic environments, this leads to I/O bottlenecks.

Switch to Redis for backend caching by adding this to config_override.php:

$sugar_config['external_cache']['redis'] = array(
    'host' => '127.0.0.1',
    'port' => 6379,
);

6. Identifying Bottlenecks

Enable the Slow Query Log in SuiteCRM to find the exact queries causing delays. 1. Go to Admin > System Settings. 2. Set Log Level to Error or Debug. 3. Set Slow Query Threshold to 1000 (1 second). 4. Review queries in suitecrm.log marked with [FATAL] Query Execution Time:.