[dba-SQLServer] Graphics in SQL Server table

Jim,

I've done no performance testing yet. I made the decision to store the images in the db because I just couldn't face the prospect of having to manage thousands (potentially 10's of thousands) of images in the file system. I'll keep you lot posted on what I find as far as usability. These images are for an industrial therapy database and they show the typical stresses encountered during a factory job: lifting, manipulating, reaching, bending, etc. There will generally be 20 or so images per job description and I'm going to display them just one-at-a-time. Therefore the performance shouldn't be too bad.

I recommended GIFs to my client because of storage space considerations. GIF has the most compact requirement with only 256 colors, and the image quality isn't bad. That may sound funny but the original images are captured with a video camera and then frames are taken from the video. The video capture program only saves these images in Windows bitmap format, so they're about 1 MB each to start. I use IrfanView to "rescan" the images to shrink them to a standard size and convert them to GIFs for the db.

Steve Erbach
Neenah, WI

> ------------Original Message------------
> From: "Jim Lawrence (AccessD)" <accessd at shaw.ca>
> To: dba-sqlserver at databaseadvisors.com
> Date: Tue, Nov-30-2004 5:33 PM
> Subject: RE: [dba-SQLServer] Graphics in SQL Server table
> 
> Hi Steve:
> 
> Have you had a chance to test the performanace rates, comparing the 
> standard storing method (outside the SQL) and new ADO.Stream method. I 
> would be interested to hear the results from a large 'imbedded' 
> implementation.
> 
> Just one question: Why were the files all convereted to GIF format 
> instead of maybe JPG?
> 
> Jim
>