varchar(max) how big
A SQL Data row has a max limited. size of 8000 bytes. Therefore a VARCHAR(MAX) which can be up to 2 GB in size cannot. be stored in the data row and so SQL Server stores it Out of row. VARCHAR(MAX) is overkill for many types of data such as personâs names, locations, colleges etc.
Using Large-Value Data Types. The max specifier expands the storage capabilities of the varchar, nvarchar, and varbinary data types. varchar(max), nvarchar(max), and varbinary(max) are collectively called large-value data types. You can use the large-value data types to store up to 2^31-1 bytes of data.