From the course: Learning Relational Databases

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Data types and precision

Data types and precision

From the course: Learning Relational Databases

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Data types and precision

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- The next two columns on your table design worksheets, deal with data types and precision. Here, we'll determine what type of data each attribute column needs to be able to store. Each database management system is going to provide a slightly different array of options here, so you'll need do consult your DBMSs documentation to see the specific options available, and how to implement them. But there are several common and standard data types that all DBMSs will support in one way or another. The most common type of data that you're likely to store, is text data. This is anything that uses alphanumeric characters or symbols. This includes names and departments, but also fields such as license plates or email addresses. In most systems, you'll have a choice between storing small strings of characters or large blocks of text as two distinct data types. A specific number of characters in each category differs from system to system, but most also provide a variable text type that allows…

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