Lesson 4 Beginner Level
4 of 30 lessons

Oracle SQL Data Types

Learn about different data types in Oracle SQL including VARCHAR2, NUMBER, DATE, and more. Understanding data types is crucial for designing efficient database schemas.

Overview

Data types define the kind of data that can be stored in a column. Oracle SQL supports a wide range of data types for storing numbers, characters, dates, and more.

Common Oracle Data Types

Data Type Description Example
VARCHAR2(n) Variable-length character string (max n bytes) 'John'
CHAR(n) Fixed-length character string (padded with spaces) 'A'
NUMBER(p,s) Numeric values with precision and scale 123.45
DATE Date and time values (to the second) 25-MAR-2025
CLOB Character large object (for large text) Used for articles, long notes

Example

CREATE TABLE employees (
  emp_id     NUMBER(5),
  first_name VARCHAR2(50),
  salary     NUMBER(8,2),
  hire_date  DATE
);

This statement creates a table with appropriate data types for each column.

Practice Task