I have a big one (database that is)

[homer2002]

For the first time ever I wish somthing I had was smaller than it is now.

Why is is that whenever I insert a picture into a form the size of the database increases by.... wel lets just say a LOT

e.g. I have a .JPG file that I am using for a background.

.JPG file size is about 14Kb

When I use it in access the size of the database goes up to about 2.5 Mb

I guess that when Access embeds this file, it is decompressed to BMP or somthing.

Is there anything that can be done keep my .MDB filesize down to somthing reasonable( I really don't want to link to them)

 

[Mile-O]

Try not to embed the pictures into your form but put a folder on your drive full of your pictures and link to them.

The image property has embedded or linked as a possible PictureType.

 

[Mile-O]

There's a few explanations on this site and on the Microsoft Knowledge Base discussing why images severely bloat a database.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Is there anything that can be done keep my .MDB filesize down to somthing reasonable( I really don't want to link to them)

You have contradictory requirements.

The smallest size image format you could hope to store is a .WMF format, if you can convert to that. If it is a true photo, you really don't want to use .WMF because of resolution loss. But the inherent size of an image is such that you would prefer to not store it at all, but rather just point to it. Otherwise, it is database bloat time for sure.

A link (despite your aversion to same) is almost ALWAYS cheaper in size costs than an inclusion/embedding operation. And all you have to do is link to the same image twice to get a MASSIVE return on the investment of linking vs. embedding.

 

[homer2002]

Thanks for the replies.

What I was trying to achieve was to Embed a picture file somehow (suffering a small amount of bloating) but trying to bypass the servere bloating that Access likes to perform.

For Example

If i could store some pictures into a table but fool access into thinking they are just data, get access to store them, then when the database is loaded, these could be extracted locally onto a users machine and linked to? (or some scam like that anyway)

(There is always a scam, and if there isn't one, there should be)