You can use the WRITE_ONCE option to change a storage area containing stable segmented string data to a format that can be stored on a write-once, read-many (WORM) optical disk. A WORM optical disk offers a relatively inexpensive way of storing large amounts of data for read-only access compared to other storage media. The following restrictions apply to the WRITE_ONCE option: o Note that you cannot write data other than segmented strings to a write-once storage area. Oracle Rdb issues an error message if you try to create a storage map that stores data other than segmented strings in a write-once storage area. Storage maps for non-segmented-string data must be removed before you can alter a storage area to WRITE_ONCE. o When you create a storage area on WORM media, you must specify that the snapshot area remains on read/write media: do not give a snapshot file the WRITE_ONCE attribute. o If you specify the WRITE_ONCE option when storing a segmented string, database keys are not compressed. For more information on database key compression, see the Oracle Rdb Guide to Database Maintenance. o Write-once storage areas do not use SPAM pages to look for storage space, but to assist moving data back to non-WORM media in which SPAM pages must be built again, space is still allocated for them. Since SPAM pages are essential in uniform areas, Write-once storage areas cannot be of uniform format and therefore are required to be of mixed format. o You can use the PAGE SIZE IS clause of CREATE STORAGE AREA to change the default page size for a storage area. To optimize storage, always specify an even number of blocks per page. o Rdb does not support magnetic media for storing write-once storage areas. o After you move a storage area to or from a WORM device, Do a full and complete backup of your database with the RMU/BACKUP command and start a new after-image journaling file. For more information on backup and recovery procedures with write-once storage areas, see the Oracle Rdb Guide to Database Maintenance.