Composition speed between Direct and Desktop

I have never compared composition speeds between Desktop and Direct as I have always assumed the latter would be quicker and I would send all large data files to Direct by default.

 

Earlier this evening, an associate decided to merge the same data file with a common template on both Direct and Desktop. The Desktop app processed the file in just over 2 hours (38,000 records output to JLT). The same file sent to Direct has been running for 4 hours now and is currently at 75%.

 

While it is preferable to have my local box available to handle other processes while data is being merged on Direct, the speed difference is hardly negligible. Is there any basis for this difference on the software side or do I need to be barking up my IT department's tree to see if hardware specs are responsible for this issue?

Where you running multiple jobs simultaneously on FP Direct or was this the only job processing?

 

Any rules that would be rendered differently on the FP Direct PC Server vs MAC?

I think that Chad is on the right track that it's not really so much a difference between Desktop and Direct as it is a difference between Mac and Windows. It is true that for some jobs, the Mac will actually compose faster than Windows. The reasons for this are complex, but basically we have two different code bases, and even where the code is the same, it's being compiled differently for two completely different operating systems and processors. Of course, even within the same basic platform (Windows vs. Mac), different machines will have different capabilities. Also, one thing that can really slow things down, especially on Windows, is anti-virus software, so you might want to try disabling that.