How big?

[Dirk Goldgar]

My database empty is 3MB, with just few records it's 5MB!!! How quick will
search be? And is it possible to make it smaller?

Search speed won't depend so much on the physical size, so much as on the
indexes that are defined and well-designed searches that use the indexes.
It's hard to say whether the size with records is out of line or not,
depending on how much space each record requires.

One thing to beware of is that storing images in your database really bloats
it, even if the original image file is in a compressed format like JPEG. If
you're currently storing images in your database records, you can save a
*lot* of space by keeping the image files in an external folder on your hard
disk, and storing only the path to the image in a text field in your
database instead.

 

[Fredg]

re: > And is it possible to make it smaller? <

Compact the database.
Tools + Database Utilities + Compact

 

[Mike Mueller]

: My database empty is 3MB, with just few records it's
: 5MB!!! How quick will search be? And is it possible to
: make it smaller?
:
: Stanko.

I'll answer this a day early (check your time/date).

Try a compact & repair to reduce the size.
A 35MB database on my computer finds the desired info in
less than a second.
Why is your DB so big with so little in it? Are you using
OLE objects (ie embedded pictures)? Linking them instead of
embedding them will decrease your size and speed it all up

HTH
Mike

 

[Stanko Milosev]

Thank you all for answers, sorry because of time, I was testing something...

I am not using any blob (binary large objects) fields or sort of, but my
database is very big, I don't know how much fields, I copy it from two side
of A4 format paper, with full of data, I am still designing it.

Dirk Goldgar mention something about well designed indexes, where I can
learn more about it? I am simply using ID field for key and that is all
about my indexes.

Stanko.

 

[John Vinson]

My database empty is 3MB, with just few records it's 5MB!!! How quick will
search be? And is it possible to make it smaller?

<chuckle> I'm trying to keep my frontend (no data) database under
40MB. 5MB is a TINY database. Access is limited to 2 GByte (2048MB);
performance will depend much more on your table and query design than
on size, especially at this level.

Noted elsethread - you should regularly Compact the database (tools...
database utilities... compact and repair database) just as routine
maintenance.

 

[John Vinson]

Yes, but I must to be carefull this database will be used to enter daily
about 1000 records!

Between this and your other message in the thread about the table
structure, I must warn you: STOP NOW. Learn something about database
normalization. If you are putting 4 sides of A4 paper into a single
table, that table is quite certainly NOT properly structured.

You will need to do a LOGICAL analysis (not based on the layout of
text on sheets of paper, that's *never* logical! <g>) of the real-life
people, things, or events (called "entities") represented in your
database. You will very likely need several tables in one-to-many and
many-to-many relationships.

Build the logical structure of your table *first*; the Forms (for data
entry and onscreen viewing) will come later, and Reports (for
printing) later yet. Don't come at the problem from the wrong end!

 

[Stanko Milosev]

Yes, I know, someone in this group already told me same. Problem is that I
don't understand a lot of these words, it is medicinal words about which I
don't know anything. So, this first database is for test, I will need to
test how quick will my application search database, and later with doctors I
will write it again but then I will prepare my questions about it. Do you
maybe know will be too slower if my sql query is about one page of A4
format? I created it dynamically, using for...next loop. And how sql query
affect search? If you have any link to share with me I will appreciate it.

Stanko.

 

[Rebecca Riordan]

My dear, if you hadn't studied medicine, would you perform an operation on
your only child "just for testing"? Of course not.

What you're doing isn't dangerous, but it _is_ useless. Performance testing
against a de-normalized database will tell you _nothing_ about how a
properly structured schema will perform. It's like measuring how fast your
car will go before you fill it with petrol.

Honestly, we're not being nasty here, we're trying to stop you wasting your
time.

--
Rebecca Riordan, MVP

Designing Relational Database Systems
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Programming Step by Step
Microsoft ADO.NET Step by Step

http://www.microsoft.com/mspress

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves,
for they shall never cease to be amused...

 

[John Vinson]

All I can say is... I agree with Rebecca. You are going down a blind
alley and wasting your time working with an improperly structured
database. Sometimes you must spend some time now, learning, to save a
great deal more time later.

 

[GVaught]

Can you buy a book in your native language on Access? If so, do so and heed
the warnings from the MVP's. At the very least search the internet for
subjects such as 'Normalization', Referential Integrity, and Database
Relationships. Many of these sites have pictures to help you understand what
you may not fully understand in words.

 

[Stanko Milosev]

You are right in everything and everbody. I already now about some things,
like 1st Normal form, 2nd, thhird, I am using, I think, fifth normal form, I
break one big table, in a few smaller ones. BUT, this test is not for me, it
is for doctors. Their main problem is search, so I must show them how it
will look like, and they need to tell me what fields they need to search.
After I made this doctors will take this database and bring it in a ministry
of health, and if ministry allow, then than these my doctors will by a new
computer, and I will have a year with a girl which will enter data to
normalize properly, and this big database will show which problems I will
have, and which problems can doctors have.

And what Rebecca said, yes it is true, I wouldn't test surgery on child, but
I would on dead body! So, I need sort of a "dead body" to test...

Thank you all for so much answers,

Stanko.

 

[Stanko Milosev]

My database empty is 3MB, with just few records it's 5MB!!! How quick will
search be? And is it possible to make it smaller?

Stanko.

 

[Stanko Milosev]

Yes, but I must to be carefull this database will be used to enter daily
about 1000 records!

 

[Rebecca Riordan]

LOL. And humor so rarely translates...

Good luck, and may you get your year with a girl <eg>

--
Rebecca Riordan, MVP

Designing Relational Database Systems
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Programming Step by Step
Microsoft ADO.NET Step by Step

http://www.microsoft.com/mspress

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves,
for they shall never cease to be amused...

 

[Stanko Milosev]

Good luck

Thank you very much, I will need it.

Stanko.