Is there a way to reduce this number, by storing several/all tables into one 'data' file?
You could accomplish this in your application, by defining a single table with a very general physical schema, then using view definitions and careful application coding to store logically distinct records into the same physical table.
E.g., suppose you have two data types: - EMPLOYEE (E_ID, E_NAME, E_SSN, E_DEPT_ID) - DEPARTMENT (D_ID, D_NAME, D_MGR_ID) Define a single table with the schema: (ROW_TYPE, ID, NAME, E_SSN, E_DEPT_ID, D_MGR_ID) Then define two VIEWs: - EMP_VIEW as select ID as E_ID, NAME as E_NAME, E_SSN, E_DEPT_ID where ROW_TYPE = 1 - DEPT_VIEW as select ID AS D_ID, NAME as D_NAME, D_MGR_ID where ROW_TYPE = 2 And to store employee records, insert the correct set of columns and make sure that you set ROW_TYPE to 1, while for department records, insert the correct set of columns and make sure that you set ROW_TYPE to 2. thanks, bryan
