Re: Char & Varchar2

Hi Tom,

The quick and dirty answer:

        CHAR is fixed in size with a maximum length of 255 characters.

        VARCHAR2 is variable in size with a maximum length of 2000 characters, but does require an additional two bytes for the length attribute.

        So, if dealing with values that are nearly always the same length you might as well use CHARs sized to the maximum length. If there is significant variation in the length you might as well use VARCHAR2.

Regards

Jerry         

Thomas Ruschak wrote:
>
> Hey, can anyone give me a quick couple of lines overview on when
> to use char & when varchar2? What are the overhead costs associated with
> varchar2?
>
> Any help appreciated...
>
> Thanks,
> Tom
> --
> -- I don't know why I did it,
> I don't know why I enjoyed it,
> and I don't know why I'd do it again! -Bart
 

-- 
Jerry Gitomer         	ICT Group
jgitomer_at_ictgroup.com	Langhorne PA
jgitomer_at_p3.net 	Opinions are mine not those of ICT Group