> To reiterate: deleting records or dropping tables does NOT reduce the size of
> the database file.
> ./heLen

Thanks Helen and Ann !! You are very kind!

The size of the bigger database was taken *after* doing a backup/restore.
Doesn't that discard all the deleted records?

Can this behaviour be a kind of database corruption or is just normal?

This is the last test I did:

1) I made an script of the database and re-created it (with IBExpert, personal
edition). At this point the STOCK table was empty. DB Size = about 4 MB

2) I ran my import app, to import the stock table from a DBF file. Just in case
I do just one commit at the end of the import (about 40.000 records). DB Size =
179 MB

3) Again I made an script of the database (metadata & data, of course!) and
re-created it. DB Size 13MB

I wander if the problem may be with blob fields...

Thanks a millon for any help !!

-s