What Is Double Data Type in SQL Server?
When working with SQL Server, it is important to understand the different data types available. One such data type is the double data type. The double data type is used to store floating-point numbers with a high degree of precision.
Understanding Floating-Point Numbers
Floating-point numbers are numbers that can have a fractional part. They are often used to represent values that can be very large or very small, or those that require high precision. Floating-point numbers have two components:
- Mantissa: This represents the significant digits of the number.
- Exponent: This determines the scale or magnitude of the number.
Floating-point numbers are commonly used in scientific calculations, financial calculations, and other scenarios where precision is crucial.
The Double Data Type
In SQL Server, the double data type is used to store floating-point numbers with double precision. It provides higher precision compared to other numeric data types like float.
The syntax for declaring a column with a double data type in SQL Server is as follows:
CREATE TABLE TableName
(
ColumnName DOUBLE
);
You can also specify the precision and scale for a double column by using the following syntax:
CREATE TABLE TableName
(
ColumnName DOUBLE(precision, scale)
);
The precision parameter specifies the total number of digits that can be stored in the column, while the scale parameter specifies the number of digits that can be stored to the right of the decimal point.
Example
Let’s consider an example to understand how the double data type works:
CREATE TABLE Products
(
ProductID INT,
Price DOUBLE(10, 2)
);
In this example, we have a table called Products with two columns: ProductID and Price. The Price column is defined as a double data type with a precision of 10 and a scale of 2.
This means that the Price column can store values with up to 10 digits in total, with 2 digits to the right of the decimal point. For example, it can store values like 12345.67 or -9876.54.
Conclusion
The double data type in SQL Server is ideal for storing floating-point numbers with a high degree of precision. It allows you to perform calculations and store values that require more accuracy than other numeric data types. By understanding and utilizing the double data type effectively, you can ensure that your SQL Server database can handle complex calculations and maintain accurate data.