It's not usual that tags get damaged...at least not in my experience. So perhaps it would be wise to track down why. Using a free table instead of DBC because of this doesn't solve the actual problem. It just makes it easier to avoid finding the real problem, IMHO.

Do you have any more information on when/how your tags are damaged?

>If a TAG is damage, the DBC has fits at load time...
>>What kinds of problems are you experiencing with the DBC?