Building a feature cache can speed up common ArcMap tasks, such as drawing, selecting, labeling, and editing features. The feature cache holds the features in the current map extent in memory on your local machine. A feature cache results in faster processing because ArcMap doesn't have to retrieve data from the server every time you update your display.
Care must be taken, though, when using feature caches to edit in nonversioned edit sessions. After you build a feature cache of some data, if another user edits that data, you will no longer be working with data that is correct. When you commit, it is possible to overwrite the other user's edits. The following sequence of events provides an example of how this can happen:
- Tom starts editing, builds a feature cache of well points, and displays the points in ArcMap.
- Susan starts her own edit session, moves a well point, and commits the change.
- Tom built his feature cache before Susan started editing, so at this point, Tom still sees the well point in its original location. Tom moves the well point to yet another location and commits, overwriting Susan's edits.