Data types
DB2® supports both IBM®-supplied data types (built-in data types) and user-defined data types (distinct types).
The smallest unit of data that can be manipulated in SQL is called a value. How values are interpreted depends on the data type of their source. The sources of values are:
- Columns
- Constants
- Expressions
- Functions
- Special registers
- Variables (such as host variables, SQL variables, parameter markers, and parameters of routines)
The following topics describes the built-in data types and distinct types.
Figure 1 shows the built-in
data types that DB2 supports.