Pro SQL Server Relational Database Design and Implementation: Best Practices for Scalability and Performance

Appendix A: Scalar Datatype Reference

Choosing proper datatypes to match domains chosen during logical modeling is an important task. One datatype might be more efficient than another of a similar type. For example, you can store integer data in an int datatype, a numeric datatype, a floating-point datatype, a character type, or even a binary type, but these datatypes certainly aren’t alike in implementation or performance.

In this appendix, I’ll introduce you to all the relational intrinsic datatypes that Microsoft provides and discuss the situations where they’re best used. The following is a list of the datatypes I’ll cover. I’ll discuss when to use them and, in some cases, why not to use them.

• Precise numeric data: Stores data with no loss of ...