Oracle Snapshot column size

Hi,
Oracle 9.2.0.6.0 on Linux

I neded to replicate a few tables from one database to another database. This is simple on-way replication with refresh on demand. So I created snapshot logs in the source (master) database and snapshots in the targer (slave) database, for example:

SQL> create snapshot log on lnp_app_owner.lnp_array   2 with rowid including new values;

SQL> create materialized view lnp_app_owner.lnp_array   2 refresh with rowid
  3 as
  4 select *
  5 from lnp_array_at_lnp1p;

Materialized view created.

where database link points from target to the source database.

However, column sizes in the snapshot are 3 times column sizes in the source database:

In the source database:

SQL> desc lnp_app_owner.lnp_array

 Name                                      Null?    Type
 ----------------------------------------- --------


----------------------------

 ID                                        NOT NULL NUMBER(38)
 BPI_ID                                             NUMBER(38)
 STARTNUMBER                                        VARCHAR2(10)
 ENDNUMBER                                          VARCHAR2(10)
 CENTREX                                            NUMBER(38)
 PNVCODE                                            CHAR(3)
 CNACODE                                            CHAR(3)
 COMMENT                                            CLOB
 STATUS                                             CHAR(4)
 TYPE                                               CHAR(6)
 ACCOUNTNUMBER                                      VARCHAR2(35)

SQL> In the snapshot:

SQL> desc lnp_app_owner.lnp_array

 Name                                      Null?    Type
 ----------------------------------------- --------


----------------------------

 ID                                        NOT NULL NUMBER(38)
 BPI_ID                                             NUMBER(38)
 STARTNUMBER                                        VARCHAR2(30)
 ENDNUMBER                                          VARCHAR2(30)
 CENTREX                                            NUMBER(38)
 PNVCODE                                            CHAR(9)
 CNACODE                                            CHAR(9)
 COMMENT                                            CLOB
 STATUS                                             CHAR(12)
 TYPE                                               CHAR(18)
 ACCOUNTNUMBER                                      VARCHAR2(105)

SQL> Is it normal? Why would Oracle need to make them 3 timer wider? Received on Sat Jan 27 2007 - 03:30:37 CST