As a database architect expert, I generally average a 25-30% reduction in the Disk Footprint of the database, sometimes with zero impact for application changes

As a database architect expert, I generally average a 25-30% reduction in the Disk Footprint of the database, sometimes with zero impact for application changes. I use a very simple equation. DISK = MEMORY = PERFORMANCE Reducing the size of the disk footprint, and therefore the amount of disk reads (disk is the slowest of the 4 physical mediums) you improve performance. By then enabling more data to be stored in the appropriately tuned MySQL Memory buffers, you get a further increase in performance. For more information on this point, you can contact me at http://ronaldbradford.com/contact http://ronaldbradford.com/contact