phpmyadmin db size differs from the mysqldump file size?

[ludachris]

I just did a few backups of my database in preparation for a vb upgrade. I've done 3 backups, and each time, the size of the dump is different (gets larger each time), even though I've turned the forums off, along with all other add-on scripts. The biggest concern is that I checked the size of the database in phpmyadmin and noticed it's 2.5 gigs compared to the 1.9 gig file size of my dump. Should I be concerned?

[Medtech]

you should store attachments and images in the file system so you can get your backup down to somewhere around 50 meg or less.

makes restoring a backup a lot easier

[ludachris]

Originally Posted by Medtech

you should store attachments and images in the file system so you can get your backup down to somewhere around 50 meg or less.

makes restoring a backup a lot easier

I do store attachments in the file system. I also have the search type set to full text. This is quite a large forum. But my question was mainly about the differing file sizes in phpmyadmin and the mysqldump.