Microsoft KB Archive/168867

= ACC97: Database Doesn't Shrink Automatically When Object Deleted =

Article ID: 168867

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Access 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q168867



Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.



SYMPTOMS
When you delete an object in Microsoft Access 97, the size of the database remains the same or gets larger after the deletion.



CAUSE
Deleting objects from a database does not automatically cause the database to shrink in size. This is because, when an object is deleted, the space that it occupies is marked as available. However, the size of the database does not shrink.



RESOLUTION
If you are deleting objects from a database and you want the database to return to its previous size, you should compact the database.



Steps to Reproduce Behavior

 * 1) Open a new database in Microsoft Access 97.
 * 2) Import the Orders table from the Northwind.mdb sample database.
 * 3) Close the database and note the size of the .mdb file.
 * 4) Reopen the database and delete the Orders table.
 * 5) Close the database, save the changes, and then note the size of the .mdb file.

Note that the size of the database has not decreased and, in some cases, may have increased.

