Special Edition Using Microsoft® Office XP

Managing Outlook Data Files

Outlook stores all information in a flat-file database—a simple list. In Outlook parlance, each record is an item, and the type of item—e-mail message, contact, appointment, and so on—defines which fields are available for entering and displaying information. Each of Outlook's default folders displays items of a single type, and you can create new folders as well.

Choosing Where Outlook Stores Your Data

When new mail arrives, or when you create and save a new item in one of Outlook's default folders (Contacts, for example), Outlook adds the new item to the location specified as the primary store. That location might be a local file, or it could be a set of folders on a Microsoft Exchange Server. The exact location ...