Thread: Question about varchar and text

What is the difference between varchar and text?

I have heard that you can use text instead of varchar and this could speed up your tables.

Robert Stewart

Network Eng

Governor's Office of Technology

101 Cold Harbor

Work # 502 564 9696

Cell # 502 330 5991

Email RobertD.Stewart@ky.gov

I don't know about running faster, but I believe the only difference between
the two in postgres is that a varchar has a limit on input. They are stored
and indexed the same.

On January 6, 2005 12:25 pm, Stewart, Robert D  (COT) wrote:
> What is the difference between varchar and text?
> I have heard that you can use text instead of varchar and this could speed
> up your tables.
>
>
> Robert Stewart
> Network Eng
> Governor's Office of Technology
> 101 Cold Harbor
> Work # 502 564 9696
> Cell # 502 330 5991
> Email RobertD.Stewart@ky.gov

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Derik Barclay <dbarclay@givex.com>, Systems Software Engineer
+1 416 350 9660
+1 416 250 9661 (fax)

Hi!

Stewart, Robert D (COT) wrote:

 > What is the difference between varchar and text?
 >
 > I have heard that you can use text instead of varchar and this could
speed up your tables.


http://www.postgresql.org/docs/7.4/interactive/datatype-character.html

Quote: "Tip:  There are no performance differences between these three
types, apart from the increased storage size when using the blank-padded
type."

--
Thomas Braad Toft

Derik Barclay wrote:
> I don't know about running faster, but I believe the only difference between
> the two in postgres is that a varchar has a limit on input. They are stored
> and indexed the same.

There is a theory that text is faster than varchar, because postgresql
doesn't have to check text. So it is one less thing for PostgreSQL to do
before it provides the tuple.

J



>
> On January 6, 2005 12:25 pm, Stewart, Robert D  (COT) wrote:
>
>>What is the difference between varchar and text?
>>I have heard that you can use text instead of varchar and this could speed
>>up your tables.
>>
>>
>>Robert Stewart
>>Network Eng
>>Governor's Office of Technology
>>101 Cold Harbor
>>Work # 502 564 9696
>>Cell # 502 330 5991
>>Email RobertD.Stewart@ky.gov
>
>


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