This function reduces the size of the encyclopedia database when records are deleted. Suppose that you delete an entire diagram and its associated definitions. Although those records will no longer be visible in the database, the disk space that was used by those records is still allocated to those records. The result is that the database size is not reduced, even though it contains fewer records. The shrink function repossesses the disk space that was used by the deleted records. By doing so, it reduces the database file size, and can reallocate that disk space to new records, as they are created.