title: varchar(max) everywhere?
body: <p>Is there any problem with making all your Sql Server 2008 string columns varchar(max)? My allowable string sizes are managed by the application.  The database should just persist what I give it. Will I take a performance hit by declaring all string columns to be of type varchar(max) in Sql Server 2008, no matter what the size of the data that actually goes into them?</p>