Introduction to PostgreSQL data types

Creating PostgreSQL Databases

Darryl Reeves

Industry Assistant Professor, New York University

Data categories in PostgreSQL

• Text
• Numeric
• Temporal
• Boolean
• Others: Geometric, Binary, Monetary

Example 1: representing birthdays

• Cathy: May 3rd, 2006
• Possible representations
  • "May 3, 2006" (text)
  • "5/3/2006" (text)
  • 2006-05-03 (date)

Example 2: tracking payment status

• Did attending member pay?
• Possible representations:
  • "Yes"/"No" (text)
  • "Y"/"N" (text)
  • 'true'/'false' (boolean)
• Specific types provide restriction on values

Example 3: trip distances

• Mark flew 326 miles for client meeting
• Possible representations:
  • "326 miles" (text)
  • "326" (text)
  • 326 (numeric)

Let's practice!

Creating PostgreSQL Databases