Carla Wilson (11/6/2008)
JohnG (11/6/2008)
A data type change to a table is NOT a "workaround".While I agree that a datatype change to an existing production table may not be a work-around, I do think this is an important idea for future design - to move away from the use of text datatypes and use varchar(max) instead.
Totally agree that the new "max" data types should be used vs. TEXT and NTEXT for all new development work. And, where possible, they should be changed in existing applications. However, such a change is not simple as code (T-SQL or other) may be using special functions and/or methods that are only applicable to TEXT and NTEXT.
The scenario presented would indicate that it was an existing application as a "workaround" (sic) was needed. If on the other hand, the scenario had started off with "you are designing tables for a new application..." the "change the data type" answer would apply.