Understanding Type Affinity in SQLite

SQLite is a lightweight, self-contained database engine renowned for its simplicity and flexibility. One of its unique features is the way it handles data types through type affinity, which determines how SQLite associates values with storage classes.

Unlike many database systems that enforce strict type constraints, SQLite’s type affinity system is more flexible, accommodating a broader range of data.

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Data Types that SQLite Allows for Strict Tables

SQLite is a lightweight, self-contained SQL database engine known for its simplicity and versatility. In version 3.37.0, SQLite introduced strict tables, offering stricter type enforcement compared to its regular tables.

This feature allows developers to define tables with precise data types, ensuring better data consistency.

In this article, we’ll look at the six supported data types for strict tables—INT, INTEGER, REAL, TEXT, BLOB, and ANY—and provide simple examples to illustrate their usage.

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An Introduction to Strict Tables in SQLite

SQLite is widely known for its simplicity, flexibility, and lightweight architecture. One feature that sets it apart from most other SQL databases is its dynamic typing system, which allows columns in a table to store data of any type, regardless of their declared type.

While some developers welcome this departure from the traditional SQL approach, others find it extremely problematic, due to its non-enforcement of data types, which could potentially lead to data integrity issues.

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How to Use SERIAL Functionality on Integer Types Like INT in MySQL

Perhaps you’re familiar with MySQL’s SERIAL type, which is not actually a data type, but a shortcut for BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT UNIQUE.

One restriction of SERIAL is that it forces us to use the BIGINT data type, which is fine if you think you’ll need the extra space. But what if you want the same attributes for a smaller integer type, like INT or MEDIUMINT for example?

Enter SERIAL DEFAULT VALUE.

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The 6 SERIAL Data Types in PostgreSQL

The SERIAL data type in PostgreSQL is a pseudo-type used to create an auto-incrementing sequence of integers for a column. It is commonly used for primary keys, as it eliminates the need to manually assign unique identifiers for each new record. PostgreSQL handles this by automatically creating a sequence object that supplies a unique number each time a new row is inserted.

PostgreSQL provides three SERIAL types, each with two options for usage; which effectively equates to six different types. So basically, we have six options to choose from when creating a SERIAL column.

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Understanding the SERIAL Type in MySQL

If you work with MySQL databases, you may have encountered the SERIAL type in a table’s definition. And if you’ve come over from PostgreSQL, you might have a false expectation about how MySQL’s SERIAL works – unless you already know 😉

Below is a quick overview of MySQL’s SERIAL type, including an explanation of how it differs from PostgreSQL’s SERIAL type and similar functionality from other DBMSs.

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How to List all Domains in PostgreSQL

In PostgreSQL, domains are basically data types with optional constraints. We can create them as a kind of user-defined data type, and then reuse them in our columns going forward.

As with any user-created object, we sometimes need to see a list of existing domains in a PostgreSQL database. Listing all domains can be useful for database management, documentation, or troubleshooting.

This article will show you how to retrieve a list of all domains in your PostgreSQL database.

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Example of PostgreSQL Automatically Creating a Nested Composite Type

Whenever we create a table in PostgreSQL, a composite type is automatically created behind the scenes. This composite type is based on the table that we created. Each column in the table becomes a field in the composite type.

If the table already uses a composite type, then the composite type that PostgreSQL creates will include that type in its definition, thereby creating a situation where we effectively have a nested composite type.

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Fix “Column, parameter, or variable #1: Cannot find data type” in SQL Server (Error 2715)

If you’re getting SQL Server error 2715, which reads something like “Column, parameter, or variable #1: Cannot find data type SERIAL“, it appears that you’re trying to define a column to have a data type that’s not supported in SQL Server.

To fix this issue, be sure to use a supported data type for all columns.

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