A client of mine has asked the following question..
Does MySQL automatically compress or is this something that needs to be done manually?
As I have only ever done relatively small databases in the past, as compared to the job I'm doing for the client whom asked this question, I really have no idea how to answer him, could anyone please explain.
Compress what? The data that gets stored in the database? The communication to the client? Or does he mean automatically repair and compress similar to the option in microsoft access?
I think he may be talking about the data in the database, but he could talking about something similar to the option in MS Access, as he is a former database analyst and is quite familiar with MS Access.
I really have no idea what he's talking about, which is why I posted here...
I remember reaching far smaller tablesizes when storing the data i needed as png's rather than regular set of fields. Everyone was saying its stupidity but i was not convinced.
You should probably clarify with him and find out exactly what he is talking about. Usually this isn't a concern, people tend to be more concerned with how a database performs vs. how much disk space it takes up.