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Development Tools Database Foundations Introduction to Data, Databases and SQL Introduction to Data Types

Mikael Paavola
Mikael Paavola
2,876 Points
Posted by Mikael Paavola
Mikael Paavola
2,876 Points

Why are integers different for databases (SQL LITE)

In every programming language i've ever had a run into c, c++, python and java

the int data type is a whole number with no decimal points

such as 3, 5, 7 3123 and so on.

And a floating point is 3.0, 4.4, 0.1234

Why then would databases have a different definition on integers?

Refering to this video: https://teamtreehouse.com/library/database-foundations/introduction-to-data-databases-and-sql-2/introduction-to-data-types-2 It seems awfully confusing

1 Answer

Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,644 Points
Steven Parker
Steven Parker
229,644 Points

Databases typically only have a NUMBER type. The concept of "integer", if used, is probably just a shorthand for a NUMBER with a certain storage size limitation with a default output format that has no decimal.

While many common programming languages have a completely separate type for integer, it's not universal. If you were familiar with JavaScript, for example, the handling of numbers in a database would seem quite natural.