Chapter 12. Datatypes

Choosing the right datatype seems so easy and straightforward, but many times I see it done incorrectly. The most basic decision—what type you use to store your data in—will have repercussions on your applications and data for years to come. Thus, choosing the appropriate datatype is paramount. It is also hard to change after the fact—in other words, once you implement it, you might be stuck with it for quite a while.

In this chapter, we'll take a look at all of the Oracle basic datatypes available and discuss how they are implemented and when each might be appropriate to use. We won't examine user-defined datatypes as they're simply compound objects derived from the built-in Oracle datatypes. We'll investigate what happens ...

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