Along with the message text exchanged between users of chat applications, many of these apps will now store data like posts, status messages, “likes” and/or favorites, emojis, animation, phone calls, and attachments including pictures, videos, and audio files.

These ancillary files can be:

•  embedded in the main database.

•  identified by their filename and location in the database and stored elsewhere in the file system.

•  located in supplemental tables within a database that may need to be joined together.