We have several databases that have images and PDFs in container fields. What we have found is that if by mistake, you insert a 50 MB PDF into a container, delete it, enter a 50KB PDF, the database still seems to reserve the space for the 50MB PDF.

Couple of questions:

1) Is this supposed to happen, or is this a glitch?

2) Is there a way to reclaim that space - optimizing and compacting don't seem to work.

The only way that we have found to get that pace back is to export the container field data, remove the field from the DB, compact, optimize and then recreate the field.

That seems a bit excessive.

Anyone have any ideas?

did you try "Save a copy as... (compressed)"?

How long did it take to insert the 50Mb PDF?

Just curious.

I don't know how long it took to insert that, it was someone testing it who couldn't follow directions.....

I tried the "Save A Compacted Copy" idea, and it reclaimed about 150MB. But when we did it the way described above, we got the entire file(PDF's and all) down to about 2 MB(a savings of about 500MB.

Thanks for the reply...