title: Good practices of SQL Server: nvarchar(max) performance
body: <p>New .net programmer here. As a new programmer, I always try to follow the best practices that I can when I am working. Today I started with SQL Server, and I asked co-worker which data type should I use for a user description column. He told me to use <code>nvarchar(MAX)</code> and I did and it worked great. </p>
  
  <p>However, should we always use <code>nvarchar(max)</code> for this cases? or is it better to assign something like 500 characters? </p>
  
  <p>I ask because I googled a little bit and I saw people saying that <code>nvarchar(max)</code> reserves a lot of memory for the column, which could reduce the performance of the database eventually.</p>
  
  <p>Edit: Awesome answers guys, I´m clear on the topic now. No unicode stuff, therebefore im gonna go for varchar(600)</p>