[en] Beam dynamics issues affect many different aspects of the SLC performance. This paper concentrates on the multi-particle beam dynamics in the linac and the associated limitations that are imposed on the overall SLC performance. The beam behavior in the presence of strong wakefields has been studied in order to optimize the performance and to predict the expected emittances in high performance linacs. Emittance measurements and simulations are presented for the SLAC linac and are compared in detail. As the overall SLC performance depends on the accelerator stability, the tuning stability is discussed. Measurements are shown and the consequences for the performance of the SLC are discussed