adding binary columns to existing table

Hi all - I've been using Monetdb's binary bulk loads and love it. Very fast, very efficient. We have a large database (2.3 billion rows) to which we frequently add new columns as new data is curated. To date, I've been re-creating the table each time, adding the new columns, and performing a binary bulk load for data in all columns. My question: Does monetdb allow for altering a table and then loading a binary file just for that column? Or is this not efficient as it requires an update on every row to add the new column's data? As our table columns reach into the hundreds it would be nice to "append" new columns, but perhaps logistically this isn't reasonable. Thanks for your insight - Lynn