MySQL in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

String Data Types

There are several column data types for storing strings. String data types are case-sensitive, so lowercase and uppercase letters remain unchanged when stored or retrieved. For a few of the string data types, you may specify a maximum column width. If a string is entered in a column that exceeds the width set for the column, the string will be right-truncated when stored. Binary strings are case-sensitive.

Following is a list of string data types. They’re not organized alphabetically; instead, they’re organized in ascending order based on the size of string values they can contain. This list also includes the width in characters or bytes for each data type.