Size difference, normal?

[Compressor]

Hello all!

Maybe strange, but I have litterely created a new database from my "old" one. I did this because I thought the size of the database was growing way to fast.

What I did was open two instances of Access, one with a new empty database open and one with the other "old" database open.

I manually created all tables, queries, forms and code again by selecting everyting in design view, copying it, creating a new table/form/query/module in the empty database and pasting the data. After that I had to set some properties and it was ready to go.

After compiling and compacting the new database was just 718kb in size. Empty that is. Then I added a couple of cases, compacted again, added some more, compacted again. (copies of the same data on different records). The same I did with the other "old" database.

Both now have 12 clients with 2 cases (totalling 24 cases) every client and every case existing of the same data.

The new database is now 1.120KB in size, the old one is 2.096KB. That's almost double. The only real difference between the two that I can think of is that one has a 20KB image tiled on the background of each form (the same image though) plus, of course, in the one database I've been designing, adding, deleting more.

But how is it possible that these data sizes are so different? 100KB difference, ok. But almost double the size? How is that possbile and why? Are there things I can do to keep it at bay apart from using the Compacting and Reparing option? Plus: Is this normal?

Edit: I emptied them. One is now 812KB in size empty, the other one is 1496 empty. Still... double the size. ?

 

[gemma-the-husky]

images seem to make an enormous difference in size - far more than the size of the image, amazingly

 

[boblarson]

Also, every time you create temporary objects (like deleting and then doing a "make table" query) the space the object occupied is still seen by the database as being taken up, until a compact has been done.

I wouldn't use images on forms though as it does bloat things pretty significantly. I started out 10 years ago and when I found that you could add images to forms I went nuts doing so and eventually I came to my senses and went back to, what seemed bland at the time, the gray forms to which Access defaults. I think that it's normal for most people to want to "break out" of the default color scheme and also use pictures, but I have found that it is much more user friendly to use the system defaults and that way when the user decides to change their defaults, they can have it their way, but most users like it clean and plain.

 

[Compressor]

I'm gonna try and see what happens to the new copy when I add just the background image that I had before, the standard "expedition" style tile. But I know for sure that when the thing is finished completely I'm gonna spend a couple of hours again, doing the same thing I did yesterday, so I'm sure the DB is as small as it can be.

So strange that when filling up and seeing the difference in filesize between these two it still has such a lot of difference. Even after compacting. Somehow I feel that the images I added and then deleted are still in there somewhere, somehow. Same goes for a lot of deleted objects.

If I were to reach the 2GB limit rather quickly I could of course, split up the databases and in the most extreme case, use a 2GB file for each month, linking them in one master table.

Although I think it is a great application, in the Netherlands I haven't seen it being used that much. Most companies I worked for use "real application" databases. Could the 2GB file size limit be the reason for that in "developer land"?

Reading through a couple of threads about this subject I thought I read somewhere that either the access db file or file structure had been incorporated in a C/C++ app and, if I understood correctly, it could be compressed to a quarter its size (using zip I think?). Is it common to use VB or C or another programming language and incorporate the file or structure of it in a so called normal app? Or will there usually be developed a complete new structure within a standardized container?

 

[gemma-the-husky]

SQL Server or other servers offer some advantages over Access (improved security, server side processing eg) but just upsizing doesn't work - they need redesigning to use the DBMS facilites.

However 2Gb really is an enormous amount of data, for most purposes.