27. A database storage method comprising the following steps: selecting a field of a database, the database containing a plurality of records; reading a plurality of data values from the field, one data value being read from each record; identifying a plurality of text portions of the data values, the text portions selected from the group consisting of a delimiter, word or a phrase; calculating a field characteristic, which is the number of different words; calculating a threshold equal to a constant of proportionality multiplied by the number of delimiters in the field raised to a power less than one; comparing the field characteristic to the threshold, to determine if the field characteristic satisfies the criterion that the number of different words is less than the threshold; applying a compaction method to the data values only if the field characteristic satisfies the criterion, the compaction method comprising the following steps: (1) assigning a numeric equivalent to each text portion; (2) creating a plurality of compacted data values based on the numeric equivalents of the corresponding text portions, the compacted data values being reduced storage equivalents of the data values; and (3) storing the compacted data values in a plurality of compacted records, such that each compacted record contains one compacted data value.
27. A database storage method comprising the following steps: selecting a field of a database, the database containing a plurality of records; reading a plurality of data values from the field, one data value being read from each record; identifying a plurality of text portions of the data values, the text portions selected from the group consisting of a delimiter, word or a phrase; calculating a field characteristic, which is the number of different words; calculating a threshold equal to a constant of proportionality multiplied by the number of delimiters in the field raised to a power less than one; comparing the field characteristic to the threshold, to determine if the field characteristic satisfies the criterion that the number of different words is less than the threshold; applying a compaction method to the data values only if the field characteristic satisfies the criterion, the compaction method comprising the following steps: (1) assigning a numeric equivalent to each text portion; (2) creating a plurality of compacted data values based on the numeric equivalents of the corresponding text portions, the compacted data values being reduced storage equivalents of the data values; and (3) storing the compacted data values in a plurality of compacted records, such that each compacted record contains one compacted data value. 28. A database storage method according to claim 27, wherein the constant of proportionality is in the range of 10 to 100 and the power is in the range of 0.25 to 0.75.