Database Line Unused

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client is managing their database and noticed three lines listed as 'Unused': nid_icl_links_post_to_post, nid_icl_links_post_to_term, and nid_icl_translation_downloads. They are unsure if these can be deleted and are also experiencing high load times on their site.
Solution:
We recommend not deleting or altering any database tables as these might be used by WPML or other plugins in the future. To address the site's performance issues, we installed the Query Monitor plugin to identify slow queries and ran the WPML Troubleshooting options to clean up the database and fix language assignment errors, which reduced the number of queries and slightly improved site speed. We also found that disabling WPML did not change the load time, indicating that WPML is not the cause of the slowdown. We suggest disabling plugins one-by-one to see which one significantly affects load times. Additionally, we noted that the plugin "Checkout Plugins - Stripe for WooCommerce" is causing warnings and that "Advanced Custom Fields Multilingual" is unnecessary unless "Advanced Custom Fields" is in use.

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Tagged: Exception, Not WPML issue, Performance

This topic contains 2 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by Andreas W. 1 week, 6 days ago.

Assisted by: Andreas W..

Author	Posts
March 22, 2025 at 12:10 pm #16847416
sylvainG-5	Background of the issue: I am trying to manage my database and noticed that three lines are listed as 'Unused'. I want to know if I can delete them. The lines are: nid_icl_links_post_to_post, nid_icl_links_post_to_term, and nid_icl_translation_downloads. Link to a page where the issue can be seen: hidden link Symptoms: I expected to see 'Active' instead of 'Unused', but I got 'Unused'. Questions: Can I delete the lines listed as 'Unused' in the database?
March 22, 2025 at 3:56 pm #16847718
Andreas W. Supporter Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, If those tables are currently not in use, they should not have any impact on the site. I am not fully aware at the moment when WPML will use those tables, as they recently have been added on WPML 4.7, but I can not suggest removing anything from the database and neither altering the existing table structures or changing data on one of the tables. Why are you concerend about the tables? Is your site having performance issue? Best regards Andreas
March 22, 2025 at 4:18 pm #16847728
sylvainG-5	Thanks, yes it is about performance. Just trying to remove what is not needed on the database. 👍
March 22, 2025 at 8:49 pm #16847981
Andreas W. Supporter Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	I can not suggest that you remove those tables but I can offer to investigate the performance issues if they are related to WPML. Where does your site currently have a high load time? Did you already check for slow or duplicated queries? I would like to request temporary access (wp-admin and FTP) to the website to investigate the issue further. You can find the required fields below the comments section when you log in to leave the next reply. The information you provide is private, meaning only you and I can see and access it. IMPORTANT Please be sure to back up your website and database before granting us access. If you can't see the "wp-admin / FTP" fields, your post and website credentials will be set to "PUBLIC." DO NOT publish the data unless you see the required wp-admin / FTP fields. The private reply form looks like this: hidden link Click "I still need assistance" the next time you reply. Video: hidden link Please note that we are required to request this information individually on each ticket. We are not permitted to access any credentials that were not specifically submitted on this ticket using the private response form.
March 22, 2025 at 10:46 pm #16848031
Andreas W. Supporter Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	I installed the Query Monitor plugin for checking the load time of your site. This plugin further indicates if there are any slow queries. You can access the details inside the admin bar. --- I ran the WPML Troubleshooting options at WPML > Support > Troubleshooting which allows to clean up the database, fix language assignment errors and enhance the performance of the site. It looks as if this way I was able to bring down the amount of queries on frontend from 2000 to 1000 and the site became slightly faster. --- The load time on backend is now between 1-4 seconds which is a normal value. On the homepage the load time is around 2-3 seconds which is slightly high for a frontend but also not unusal on sites running 65 plugins. I disable WPML for a moment and the load time remaisnbetween 2-3 seconds, which means that it is not caused by WPML. To get a better idea about which plugins have an impact on this load, you would need to disable plugins one-by-one and verify on which steps the load time changes significantly. --- There are various Warnings showing up regarding the plugin "Checkout Plugins - Stripe for WooCommerce". I would advise you to bring this to the attention of their support team. --- The plugin "Advanced Custom Fields Multilingual" does not need to be active on your website. You only need this WPML-Addon of you use the plugin "Advanced Custom Fields".