Using a Variable-length Datatype Without Explicit Length: The Whys and Wherefores (BP007/8)
If you declare a variable-length string , or coerce a string, without specifying its length, you can fall foul of ‘silent’ string truncation. Some developers resort to using the(MAX) specification, which is a mistake too. Phil Factor explains the dangers and then offers a workaround for the problem, when you're importing text and simply don't know the correct length of each string. Read more
