What Is Bit Data Type in Oracle?

//

Scott Campbell

The bit data type in Oracle is a binary data type that stores fixed-length binary strings. It is commonly used to represent boolean values, with 0 representing false and 1 representing true.

Creating a Bit Data Type

To create a column with the bit data type in Oracle, you can use the RAW or BLOB data types. The RAW data type allows you to store fixed-length binary data up to 2000 bytes, while the BLOB data type allows you to store large variable-length binary objects.

You can create a column with the RAW data type using the following syntax:


CREATE TABLE table_name (
   column_name RAW(size)
);

The size parameter specifies the length of the binary string in bytes.

Inserting Values into a Bit Data Type Column

To insert values into a column with the bit data type, you can use the X’ prefix followed by a hexadecimal representation of the binary string.


INSERT INTO table_name (column_name) VALUES (X'01');
INSERT INTO table_name (column_name) VALUES (X'00');

In the above example, ’01’ represents true and ’00’ represents false.

Retrieving Values from a Bit Data Type Column

To retrieve values from a column with the bit data type, you can use functions like BIN_TO_NUM, BIN_TO_NUM_RAW, or BIN_TO_NUM_BLOB.


SELECT BIN_TO_NUM(column_name) FROM table_name;
SELECT BIN_TO_NUM_RAW(column_name) FROM table_name;
SELECT BIN_TO_NUM_BLOB(column_name) FROM table_name;

Working with Bit Data Type

When working with the bit data type, it is important to note that the length of the binary string must match the specified size. If a shorter binary string is inserted, it will be padded with zeros to match the specified size. If a longer binary string is inserted, it will be truncated to match the specified size.

Additionally, when comparing values of bit data type columns, you can use logical operators like =, >, <, etc.

Conclusion

The bit data type in Oracle is a useful binary data type for storing fixed-length binary strings. It is commonly used to represent boolean values and allows for efficient storage and retrieval of binary data.

By using the RAW or BLOB data types, you can create columns with the bit data type and perform various operations on them.

Discord Server - Web Server - Private Server - DNS Server - Object-Oriented Programming - Scripting - Data Types - Data Structures

Privacy Policy