SQL Server Data Types

The type of data that can be stored in a column or variable in SQL Server is determined by its data types.

Numeric Data Types Integers, decimals, and floating-point numbers are examples of numeric values that are stored using numeric data types. Whole numbers between -2,147,483,648 and 2,147,483,647 are stored in INT. From -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807, BIGINT stores huge whole numbers. Fixed-point numbers can be stored in DECIMAL with a maximum precision of 38. FLOAT can hold floating-point integers with up to 53 bits of precision.

Character Data Types String data like names, addresses, and descriptions are stored using character data types. In SQL Server, the following character data types are frequently used: CHAR may hold strings of up to 8,000 characters in length that are fixed in length. Strings having a maximum length of 8,000 characters are stored in VARCHAR. Up to 2GB of huge text material can be stored in TEXT.

Date and Time Data Types In order to store date and time values, SQL Server offers a variety of data types. Some frequently used date and time data types in SQL Server include the following: From January 1, 0001 to December 31, 9999, DATE stores date values. TIME may hold time values with up to 7 digits of precision. DATETIME keeps track of time and date data between January 1 and December 31, 9999. DATETIME2 has an accuracy of up to 7 digits when storing date and time values.

Binary Data Types For storing binary data, such as photos and documents, SQL Server offers a variety of binary data types. In SQL Server, the following binary data formats are frequently used: 8,000 bytes is the maximum length that BINARY can store for fixed-length binary data. 8,000 bytes is the maximum length that VARBINARY can hold for variable-length binary data. IMAGE stores huge binary data that can be up to 2GB in size.

Other Data Types XML, cursors, and tables are just a few of the additional data formats that SQL Server offers. In SQL Server, the following data types are frequently used: Data in XML can be stored in a column or variable. A reference to a result set that a query returns is kept in a CURSOR. TABLE keeps a table variable for usage in a stored method or function.

Here are some examples of SQL Server data types:

1. INT data type:

CREATE TABLE Employees ( EmployeeID INT, FirstName VARCHAR(50), LastName VARCHAR(50), Salary INT );

In this example, the "Salary" column is defined as INT data type which stores whole numbers.

2. DECIMAL data type:

CREATE TABLE Orders (

OrderID INT,

OrderDate DATE,

TotalAmount DECIMAL(10,2)

);

In this example, the "TotalAmount" column is defined as DECIMAL data type which stores fixed-point numbers with a maximum precision of 10 digits including 2 decimal places.

3. VARCHAR data type:

CREATE TABLE Customers ( CustomerID INT, FirstName VARCHAR(50), LastName VARCHAR(50), Email VARCHAR(100) );

In this example, the "Email" column is defined as VARCHAR data type which stores variable-length strings with a maximum length of 100 characters.

4. DATETIME data type:

CREATE TABLE Orders ( OrderID INT, OrderDate DATETIME, ShipDate DATETIME, CustomerID INT );

In this example, both "OrderDate" and "ShipDate" columns are defined as DATETIME data type which stores date and time values from January 1, 1753 to December 31, 9999.

5. VARBINARY data type:

CREATE TABLE Images ( ImageID INT, ImageData VARBINARY(MAX) );

In this example, the "ImageData" column is defined as VARBINARY data type which stores variable-length binary data with a maximum length of 2GB used to store images or other binary data.