One or more of the fields can be of differing lengths in each record.

Advantages:

• the records will be smaller and will need less storage space
• the records will load or save faster
• the file will be faster to transmit down a network

Disadvantages:

• The computer will be unable to determine where each record starts so processing the records will be slower.

Example : A file that needs to be downloaded from a network site. Eg. An Internet database.

Storage method 1.

When the record is stored, each field has a field terminator byte stored at the end of it, and there is often a record terminator at the end of the whole record.

The first record of the example would be stored as .....

• * is a field terminator

• % is a record terminator

This record requires 33 bytes of storage.....but each record will be a different size.

Storage method 2.

Each field starts with a byte showing the length of the field. The whole record starts with a byte giving the size of the record. The first record of the example would be stored as....

This record requires 34 bytes of storage....but again, each record would be a different size.