[AccessD] On DB Bloat, Bad DB Design, and various

>Much like suggesting setting everything to variant to cover the bases.

The difference is that there is (often) a huge downside to using only
variants, there is little (or no) downside to using 255 character strings.
Setting text fields to specific widths in a db comes from the old databases
where the databases REQUIRED that because they physically set aside the
space in the db.  Access doesn't do that.  The purpose was not to "enforce
rules", it was to conserve very limited disk and memory space.  Access
doesn't do things that way so the "reason" to do that ceases to be valid.

Like most things in life, the reason gets lost in the mists of time and
become embedded in the "rules".

I read a very funny story once.

A woman was teaching her young daughter how to cook a ham.  The mom's
instructions were to cut the end off the ham, add the glaze, etc etc.  The
daughter asks "why do we cut the end off the ham".  Mom replies...  uhhh...
I don't know, that's just how I was taught.  Lets go ask my mom.  Grandma
says ... uh... I don't know, that's just how I was taught.  Lets go ask
great grandma.  Great grandma says "You don't need to cut the end off the
ham.  I just did that because I only had a short pan and I needed to make
the ham fit".

Question EVERYTHING!

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Scott Marcus
Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 7:13 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: RE: [AccessD] On DB Bloat, Bad DB Design, and various


I know those limitations. I was making a point. Much like suggesting setting
everything to variant to cover the bases.

Scott Marcus
TSS Technologies, Inc.
marcus at tsstech.com
(513) 772-7000