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

Hi Drew

> Just out of curiousity, how many times have you been called, because someone
> set a field size limit to 255, and the users couldn't enter their data?  Not
> theory, how many actual times.

I don't recall ever to have had to adjust this limit. That's because
I'm so good to anticipate the client's need.

> In the past 3 months, I have had 3 incidents were a db built by a previous
> developer had field size limits, which I had to increase, because the users
> were entering more data into the field.  On top of that, most of what I had
> done was either new data entry screens, or reporting screens, and both of
> those worked just fine with the new 'length' of the data, it was just the db
> that couldn't store what they wanted.

Well, those previous developers were bad developers.

> Now, assuming (cause it's a pretty safe assumption) that you have never had
> a user complain they couldn't put what they needed into a 255 character
> field, how do you think the previous developer looked, when I come in, and
> say, 'Yep, whoever built this set the maximum field length to 35
> characters.', which I then get replied 'Why did he/she do that?', and what
> do I answer? 'Got me, guess they figured that's all you needed'.  What do
> you think those clients think of their original developers?

It all sums up, that to limit a text field length you must be a good
programmer; if you are not, just don't. (No reverse conclusions should
be made.)

/gustav