Access 97 DataBase Size After Importing to new Access 2000 Database

[vtreddy]

Hi,
I have recently migrated a backend Access 97 mdb file to Access 2000
version, i could not just convert using database utilities Convert Database,
so I created a blank database in access 2000, and imported all the tables
to new Access database, the number of tables and records in both database
versions looks like same to me, but the initial access 97 version database
size is 280MB, later new access 2000 version database size is just 13MB, can
any one please tell me why the size difference is so much between two
versions.

Thanks,
VT

 

[John Nurick]

Hi VT,

Probably your Access 97 mdb hadn't been compacted for a long long time.
(That may also be the reason you had difficulty simply converting it.)

In any version of Access, MDB files need to be compacted regularly to
recover space occupied by deleted records and database objects and to
simplify the structure of the file (which is not the same as the
structure of the database).

 

[david epsom dot com dot au]

I guess you couldn't compact the A97 database for the same
reason you couldn't convert it, but you should make sure that
you have set system and hidden tables to VISIBLE, in case
the A97 design had hidden or USYS tables.

(david)

 

[vtreddy]

John/david:

Thank you very much for your answers, this access 97 database contains
some hidden queries and forms along with system tables,I've set system and
hidden tables to VISIBLE and exported all to the new database version.

Thanks,
VT