If the db gets *too* large, it gets unwieldy to manage. phpMyAdmin has a 16MB limit by default, and I've seen that on many hosts. If I'm working for a client, then I don't really have a say in where they currently host, but it makes my job easier if I don't have to figure how to move a 40MEG database with limited access. :)

Ssh? Sure, no problem then.

Even if I weren't moving hosts, even digging aroudn in a large database becomes more of a chore than it needs to.

(gah, just noticed you were talking to AndreW.)