File too big?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mansoor Azam
  • Start date Start date
M

Mansoor Azam

I have an excel file with logins in column A and passwords in column B. Each
login is 12 characters and each password is 8 characters. There are 20
thousand logins and passwords ( i.e. 20 thousands rows or 20K rows)

Now since 1 character = 1 byte and 1 row consists of 20 characters ( 12+8)
the data should be about 20K * 20 = 400 K
Even if there is an overhead of say 5 characters in every row the data would
be about 20K * 25 = 500K

So my file should be around 400 to 500 K in size

but its 1,517 KB

why?
 
Hi
Excel does not store the information that efficient: You assume that it
allocates only on byte per character. Som e assumptions:
- first you also have to store the font/color information
- probably Excel stores more than yust your 20 bytes per row
 
Sometimes you can underestimate the what excel treats as the used range.

When you hit ctrl-end, does it take you way past what you know is the last used
cell in the worksheet.

If it does, you can use some techniques at Debra Dalgleish's site:
http://www.contextures.com/xlfaqApp.html#Unused
to reset this last used cell.

If you're still concerned about the size of the file (emailing to someone
else????), you couls save your data as a comma separated values file.

That's a plain text version of the file and will be much smaller. Be aware that
no formulas and no formatting (or any "real" excel stuff) will be saved.

If I have to do this, I'll save the excel file for myself and save the CSV file
for others.
 
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