Access 2010 Calculated Field - Table Requires More Space Than Static Field

Question

I've started using Access 2010 recently and started testing some of the new features, namely the Calculated Field datatype.

I had hoped that this was something that based on a formula (expression builder) would remove an amount of data and shrink an ACCDB file because Access only has the formula not actual data.

However, my new version of the file seems to be larger than the original which IMHO makes the feature a bit useless.

I've searched the interweb regarding the feature and can only really find people who show how to create one rather than any pros and cons about the feature.

As it stands I'm going to go back to the old method of calculations in a query but before I do I thought I'd ask on StackOverflow just in case anybody has used it.

Answer 1

Access stores the results of calculated fields for each record, so yes, that will increase the size of the database. However your claim that this "makes the feature a bit useless" misses the point:

The primary advantage of using calculated fields is that the calculation (expression) is defined once, at the table level. Once the calculated field has been defined it can simply be used much like any other field in queries, reports, etc..

Sure, you can "go back to the old method of calculations in a query" if that suits your purposes, but it also means that

1. You will have to repeat the (same) calculation logic in all of your queries.
2. If the calculation logic ever changes then you'll have to go back and edit all of those queries.
3. Every time you run one of those queries it will have to re-do the calculation for every record, instead of simply retrieving the calculated field from the table.