Sesam uses a highly optimized Microsoft database, which gives the user tremendous benefits. In Sesam all analysis tasks are performed using a point-and-click interface, and the user never has to write functions or use commands. Grouping on character fields and stratifications on numerical fields are made “on-the-fly”. Drill-down is made using the point-and-click interface as well. All these extremely powerful, intuitive and easy-to-use functions are made possible because of Sesam’s highly optimized database format.

Sesam can read input data files irres­pective of size (measured in GB or in number of records). When imported Sesam stores the data in a database format in order to allow blazingly fast point-and-click analysis (mentioned above).

Sesam’s database engine allows huge tables, up to 2 GB in size. This limitation is mainly theo­retical and has little or no impact at all on practical work.

In extremely rare cases when accounting tables would exceed the 2 GB limit there are viable solutions as well. Experience has shown that in cases like that there are always ways to split the data tables into more than one table, e.g. split by department, group, accounting period or other logical dimensions. Experience has also shown that splitting the data in this way makes analysis easier and quicker.

Guidelines about how to work with large data sets will be provided as a part of the Sesam documentation.