Specifications

Using Databases with ID Works Projects 91
ID Works Basic Version 5 Administrator’s Guide
BLOB-related Considerations
Binary large object (BLOB) is a generic name for Access OLE
Objects. The maximum size of all BLOB fields on a record cannot
exceed 1 megabyte. The maximum size of an individual BLOB field is
determined by dividing 1 megabyte by the number of BLOB fields in
the record. For example, if the record has four BLOB fields, each will
have a maximum of 250 kilobytes. An average head-and-shoulders
photo saved by the ID Works Production application using the default
JPEG storage settings is about 20 kilobytes. If you decide to use
another file format to store photos, be sure to test the project using
actual images.
If a BLOB exceeds the maximum size, the Production operator will
receive a warning message, the BLOB will be truncated to the
maximum length allowed, and the record will be saved with the
truncated BLOB.
File Name Considerations
Photo images can be stored in the database, or they can be stored as
files outside of the database. If they are stored as files, two storage
options are available:
• Use ID Works Path — Only the file name is saved in the
database. The current setting for the photo path is used as the
path to store the file when the record is inserted into the database
and as the path to find the file when the record is read from the
database. This option is useful when you want to move the files to
different locations over time. You can use the ID Works
Administrator application to specify where photo files should be
stored. See the Administrator help topic “Set the system paths”
for step-by-step instructions.
• Select Path — The entire path is saved in the database. If your
ID Works project will be used on more than one computer and
you select the path for image files, you can use universal naming
(starting with \\) for the path specification. Using universal naming
means you do not have to ensure that all computers in your
system map drives the same way.