Hi,
I want to design an application.The database is ms access.
I have a table that has about 40 fields.
Regarding performance issues I want to know is it better to use one table or to use multiple tables and join them sql command through a unique ID?
thanks

First I would suggest using SQL Express. It is a chopped down version of SQL Server 2005. It's free and is a true relational database. No matter what DB you use, you should design it so that it is relational. Then you can access your data using JOIN conditions.

Jim

You don't necessarily need to break apart the table, however it might make logical sense to. You could create a second table for fields that belongs together but that doesn't necessarily have to live with the first set of fields.

One thing to consider: are there certain fields that would be accessed a lot while others would not be? If so, then you might benefit from putting less-used fields in another table with a one-to-one relationship to the rows in the "master" table.

-Peter