TEXTLIST() vs [TEXTLIST:]

ankit_cheeni
ankit_cheeni
in Modeling

Hi All, 

 

I have read and re-read @rob_marshall's (and Planual's) cautions against TEXTLIST but wanted to check if there is a performance difference between Textlist the calculation function and Textlist the aggregation function?

Maybe a performance difference would come basis how the functions read the data?

Planual doesn't differentiate so my hunch is they'd have equal load on the classic engine.

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Best Answer

  • rob_marshall
    rob_marshall
    Answer ✓

    @ankit_cheeni 

     

    Ankit,

     

    The function TextList, no matter how it is used, is bad on performance.  Why, because it relies on Text and Text is evil due to the amount of "real" memory it uses.  In the UX, text is approx 8 bytes, but in reality, it is (2 * the number of characters of the text string) + 48 bytes.  So, the string ABC is really 54 bytes.  And when you use TextList, those bytes start adding up very quickly.  Take a look at the below, when you use text concatenation on 100 million cells

     

    2022-06-01_13-54-18.png

    And that is only doing one concatenation, but with TextList, you can have multiple, just adding to it every character at a time which then blows the performance out.

     

    Does this help?

     

    Please let me know.

     

    Rob

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