File size when converting to relational database

[Guest]

How come when I convert a flat text file of data to a relational database in
Access, the file size is so much bigger? I thought this conversion was
supposed to reduce repetition of data and thus, make for a smaller file size?

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

Have you compacted the database? Tools ... Database Utilities ... Compact
and Repair

Eventually it will be smaller, but remember there is no binary overhead with
plain text, so you may not actually save space. If you think that the bloat
is excessive, try converting to xml and see what really excessive bloating
is about.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
Microsoft Access
Free Access downloads:
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access

How come when I convert a flat text file of data to a relational database in
Access, the file size is so much bigger? I thought this conversion was
supposed to reduce repetition of data and thus, make for a smaller file

size?

 

[BruceM]

It will depend in part on the data you converted. If you converted
redundant data it will still be redundant. Database design, not the file
format itself, is what reduces redundancy. The answer to your concern about
file size depends in large part on how you converted.

 

[Joseph Meehan]

How come when I convert a flat text file of data to a relational
database in Access, the file size is so much bigger? I thought this
conversion was supposed to reduce repetition of data and thus, make
for a smaller file size?

Have you normalized the tables and compacted the database?