If you are a regular user of Microsoft Access or if you are a developer, the MDB files used to store the data and other interface objects will keep growing. Though you may continue to delete some objects as you work on the database, Microsoft Access files do not really get that much smaller since the objects are not really deleted but only moved temporarily. Further, even if objects are deleted permanently, the space created as a result is not automatically made efficient use of. This growth in the size of the MDB file may not only start affecting the performance of Access but the MDB files run a risk of getting corrupted and requiring immediate MDB recovery steps.
As an Access database grows, you may start noticing errors or slowdowns in the performance of Access. Not only can this prove very frustrating for users but if immediate steps are not taken to address the errors, chances are that whatever corruption has crept into the MDB file will only grow with time till the file becomes completely inaccessible. Further, even if you try to delete some data or objects from the MDB file so as to reduce the size of the file, this may not be the most efficient way of doing so. By deleting objects from the database, there may be more fragmentation of the disk leading to more performance issues. In fact, these problems may get so serious that only specialized third-party tools may prove successful in carrying out an MDB recovery.
To avoid corruption in MDB files due to constant use and growth in size of the file, it is best to use the Compact utility that Access provides. If you run this utility on a regular basis, you should be able to keep the file size down to a manageable level and also make better use of the space available, thereby ensuring that the performance of Access is not compromised. In fact, it has been estimated that by running the Compact tool, you could easily reduce the size of the MDB file by a factor of two or even three. By using this tool alone, you could considerably reduce the chances of an MDB file getting corrupted due to excess disk fragmentation.
However, there are times when despite taking these steps, your MDB file suffers some damage. When you try to open a damaged MDB file, Access immediately detects that there may be errors with the file and will offer to carry out an immediate MDB recovery. You could use the Repair tool to fix a damaged MDB file and recover important data from it. Sometimes, Access is unable to detect that a file is damaged and the only way you can know it is when the file starts to behave unpredictably. When that happens, immediately run the Compact and Repair utilities.