SQL data type attributes

SQL data type attributes include the precision, scale, length, and display size of this data type.

Precision of SQL data types
The precision of a numeric column or parameter refers to the maximum number of digits that are used by the data type of the column or parameter. The precision of a non-numeric column or parameter generally refers to the maximum length or the defined length of the column or parameter.
Scale of SQL data types
The scale of a numeric column or parameter refers to the maximum number of digits to the right of the decimal point. For approximate floating-point number columns or parameters, the scale is undefined because the number of digits to the right of the decimal place is not fixed.
Length of SQL data types
The length of a column is the maximum number of bytes that are returned to the application when data is transferred to its default C data type.
Display size of SQL data types
The display size of a column is the maximum number of bytes that are needed to display data in character form.

Parent topic: Data conversion between the application and the database server