I have an access database that was build using a series of Excel spreadsheets that have identical columns.  The sum total size of these spreadsheets is 40mb.  When I import these into Access, the size jumps to 800Mb.  I've tried compacting the database (this did not help)

How can I reduce this size?  What is the reason for this size increase?

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Answer from Richard Rost:

Hmmm… I'd have to see it to tell you for sure. Did the fields come in as MEMO fields or plain text? Sometimes memo fields can blow up the size of your database, but that usually goes away when you compact. Check the FIELD SIZE of your text fields. If they're all 255 characters, that will also blow up the size of the database. Reduce those to the minimums necessary to hold the data.