Really... I suggest you go back and lookup what approximate numbers are. Simply do not use these when dealing with fiscal data. problem solved.

What no one has mentioned is that you also have to consider the mechanics of the I/O.

SQL Server is going to fetch a block (or several) at a time, not...

Have a look in the resource database - it ain't going away anytime soon... how many times could MS hard-code 8000?

With 2005/2008 it's easy to create unlimited version of string...