>>Hi Jim,
>>
>>Then, as you explain it, would it be appropriate to make the statement:
>>As table size increases AND the ratio of deleted to non-deleted rows shrinks, access speed lengthens?
>
>Evan,
>
>That is the general idea although I don't think it is a linear relationship at all. Although your paraphrasing has the gist of the issue it is an over simplification of the factors involved.
>
>Also, the statement does not account for the fact that there can be and are situations where a "fully optimized" operation is not as fast as a "partially optimized" operation.
>
>The full or partial optimization thing is simply whether or not Rushmore was used for the entire opreation or for part of it. The problem is that there are circumstances where Rushmore can actually add to the time required rather than reduce it.
>
>What makes this situation even more complex, is that in many circumstances the deleted tag does improve performance adn quite a lot as well. But when it has the opposite effect it is a severe hit to take because it is invovled with very large numbers of records so the performance hit is big one.

Jim,

I understand. Many thanks for the clarification -- this applies directly to one of my current projects, and your explanation will be of very valuable assistance in the direction of that project.