SQL Data Types: Text Data Types

Text data types in SQL are used to store character or string values. These data types typically have a length property that specifies the maximum number of characters that can be stored in the column.

Syntax

Here are the various syntaxes of text data types in SQL:

• CHAR(size): Fixed-length character data type with a maximum size of 255 characters.
• VARCHAR(size): Variable-length character data type with a maximum size of 65535 (bytes).
• TEXT: Variable-length character data type with a maximum size of 65535 bytes.

Example

Let's take a look at an example of using text data types in SQL:

CREATE TABLE employee (
  id INT PRIMARY KEY,
  name VARCHAR(50),
  job_title TEXT
);

INSERT INTO employee (id, name, job_title) VALUES (1, 'John Smith', 'Software Engineer');

Output

When we execute the above SQL commands, a new table named 'employee' is created with three columns, 'id', 'name' and 'job_title'. We then insert a single row into the table, specifying the values for each column.

Explanation

In this example, we have used two different text data types in SQL, namely 'VARCHAR' and 'TEXT'. The 'name' column is a variable-length string of up to 50 characters, while the 'job_title' column is a variable-length string of up to 65535 characters.

Use

Text data types in SQL are used to store character or string data of varying lengths and sizes. They are commonly used in tables that store customer or employee information, product descriptions, or other types of textual data.

Important Points

• Text data types in SQL are used to store character or string values.
• These data types have a 'length' property that specifies the maximum number of characters that can be stored in the column.
• Variable-length text data types are typically more flexible than fixed-length data types.
• Text data types are commonly used in tables that store textual data such as customer or employee information and product descriptions.

Summary

In summary, text data types in SQL are used to store character or string data of varying lengths and sizes. These data types have a 'length' property that specifies the maximum number of characters that can be stored in the column. They are commonly used in tables that store textual data such as customer or employee information and product descriptions.