Fixing MS SQL Express Server performance problem

I have a component database as a part of OrCAD CIS/CIP installation. OrCAD is a schematics/PCB design tool. The database server is MS SQL Express and it is installed on the same PC, i.e. it is basically a single user setup. In OrCAD schematics there is an operation called linking a database part. That is when you select a part in the schematics or in Part Manager and assign it to a component in the CIS database. CIS stands for Component Information System. The problem I am experiencing is that linking of a single part takes about 10 seconds and if I try to link multiple identical parts to the same database part at once, the time grows exponentially after the number of parts exceed a couple of dozens. I can see from the PC resource monitor that the memory usage grows exponentially as well and occasionally the software crashes. Unfortunately, OrCAD people have not been very helpful in resolving the problem. I know very little about databases, so I was wondering if someone could help me with properly diagnosing and fixing the problem.