Excessive database size

[Numfric]

I keep information about my CD library on a fairly simple database on access.
There is a CD table and a Source info table with names, addresses,
hyperlinks for my most common suppliers. There are a couple of very simple
reports, two or three simple queries and a data entry form for the CD info.
I enter the supplier info directly into the table view.
There are 560 records on the CD table and about 10 on the source table.
When I export the table to a fixed format text file, it creates a file of
about 500KB. The .mdb file itself was 20MB until I compressed it. It is now
"only" 10MB. What in the world is taking up so much space?

 

[Ken Snell \(MVP\)]

All of the information about
-- what the data type of the fields in the table are
-- what all the other properties of the fields in the table are
-- what the indices of the table are
-- the properties and structure of the form
-- the SQL statements of the queries
-- the format of the database file
-- the metadata needed for the entire file to be usable in ACCESS
-- allocated space for data not yet entered (think of as an empty shelf
awaiting new records)
and so on....

The text output that you get is just that -- the data in text format. This
takes very little disk space.

 

[Numfric]

My oh yes! I followed your advice and tracked it down to a background
picture I had decided to use on one of the forms a few years ago (it looked
cool). This was a jpg I took on my digital camera, and it's actual size is
about 700KB. Sure enough, as I copied the form into the copy of the CD
database, it suddenly went up to 20MB again! I compacted the new db, and it
again came down to 9.9MB. Now I went in and changed the picture from
Embedded to Linked, and compacted the db again. It is now a healthy 345KB.
What on earth is happening here? Does Access convert the jpg to a bitmap
when a picture is embedded?

 

[Tom Wickerath]

Does Access convert the jpg to a bitmap when a picture is embedded?

Yes, this happens in Access 2003 and all prior versions. Access 2007 has
finally solved this bloat problem:

http://blogs.msdn.com/access/archive/2005/11/07/490113.aspx

includes the quote:

Modern image support - use png, gif, jpg, etc. without database bloat and
maintain transparency.


Tom Wickerath
Microsoft Access MVP

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