confused on maximum characters - Mailing list pgsql-general

From roypgsqlgen@xemaps.com
Subject confused on maximum characters
Date
Msg-id 200108161526.f7GFQSP37182@postgresql.org
Whole thread Raw
Responses Re: confused on maximum characters
List pgsql-general
Hey guys,

I'm a little confused by the documentation on varchar data type in postgresql.

Looking at the docs Peter Eisentraut added this note at the bottom of the documentation for character data.
---
The maximum value for "n" is 2147483648. The longest possible string is actually only about 1 GB, though. The storage
sizeof "(4+n)" is actually incorrect: char(n) really takes 4+n but varchar(n) and text take 4 plus the actual length of
thestored string. Long strings will actually be compressed by the system, though. 
---

So does this mean I can specify very large varchar column types, like say varchar(1024)?

And what does he mean by 'Long strings will actually be compressed by the system'?

Thanx.

Roy.




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