Structure of tables/database to reduce overall size of file

[jobrien4]

I designed a database that stores information about a part, then on a seperate form, allows the user to create a quote of that part.



We now see the need to attach files at the part information level. There will be three separate fields to attach the files.

These files will almost always be PDF's ranging in size of 50kb to 200kb. I'm estimating within a 3-5 year time frame, the file size will breach the 2GB limit.

Is there a way to structure the table/database to reduce the size? I'm thinking about each attachment field have its own table, then that table gets split into its own database. Would this work?

[pbaldy]

I think the most common method is to store the path to a saved file rather than embedding the file within Access. That keeps your file small, and allows you to upsize it later if needed into SQL Server or other databases that don't support the attachment data type.