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File Size

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kcmark

Technical User
Nov 2, 2002
63
US
I am relatively new to Access programming, but I have noticed that the size of my database is growing very rapidly. I just finished a modest database and the total file size was 30MB (before any data was put in the tables). I did have quite a few reports and other bells and whistles, but it just seems really large. Is this a 'normal' size for an access database. Are there certain features that cause the size to increase dramatically?
 
Compact your application regularly ie at least once a week. Apart from that, don't worry.


 
A little more explanation...

As you develop a database, typically you do a lot of editing of forms and other objects, adding and deleting fields in forms or reports, etc. You may create tables, populate them and then change your mind and delete them. Deleting an object does not completely do away with it. The space it occupies within your database is still occupied - just not accessible. Compacting will do the finally recovery of this space (and reduction of your database).

Even a completed database can (and usually does) increase in file size over time, depending upon what is going on such as creating and deleting objects or deleting records. So, compacting is a normal requirement in periodic database maintenance.
 
I can see 1664 Access databases on my shared drive. 1500 are less than 30Mb. The largest is 1074Mb.

Jet always adds new records at the end of the tablespace ie it never goes back and re-uses the space from deleted records (which I find odd - you think it would always have a look for space on the current page). Compacting takes all the records out and re-loads them into the tablespace thus recovering unused space.

 
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