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Foreign keys with non-matching column definitions [message #65509] Mon, 11 October 2004 02:26 Go to next message
Tine
Messages: 1
Registered: October 2004
Junior Member
I have read that foreign keys with non-matching column definitions causes poor performance because it forces data conversion.

I wonder if we get a performance degradation when as an example the parent table column definition is set to number(9) and the foreign key column definition is set to number(3)?

Thanks

Tine
Re: Foreign keys with non-matching column definitions [message #65511 is a reply to message #65509] Mon, 11 October 2004 04:38 Go to previous message
Art Metzer
Messages: 2480
Registered: December 2002
Senior Member
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I wonder if we get a performance degradation when...the parent table column definition is set to number(9) and the foreign key column definition is set to number(3)?

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I doubt it.

Please read the AskTom article "Altering table columns to a smaller size", in which Tom concludes
  • benchmark these things, get hard and fast numbers before you go about doing long painful changes
  • stop doing your conversion [[from NUMBER to NUMBER(12)]]-- it is quite simply "not worth it"
After all, a NUMBER(9) is stored in the database exactly the same as a NUMBER(3) is.

I think the mismatched foreign-key column definitions that you've read about refer to conversions such as between DATE and VARCHAR2, or between NUMBER and VARCHAR2.
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