>>>Hi all
>>>
>>>I would appreciate if you could advise the performance difference between using a character C(200) versus a memo fields in both VFP and MSSQL? Thanks
>>
>>I did not notice differences in performance (in VFP). I would concentrate more on the following questions:
>>

Is 200 characters enough under all circumstances? If not, memo might be a better choice.
>>

A 200-byte character field will probably waste more space than a memo field. Is this acceptable, for your situatin? Consider the database itself, the space for regular backups, and the fact that VFP files are limited to 2 GB.
>
>About the waste of space: If the memo field is filled only once and not updated, then it's less space consuming than a character field that must serve even the largest expected value. However, if the field will be updated more times, then the FPT will grow rapidly. In that case, a PACK MEMO should be done with a regular interval.

- if SYS(2012)*ceiling(len(memovalue)/SYS(2012))>200 memo consume more space
- FPT grow only if the update string is too large for the memo's blocks allocated to the current string.