Data type
The kind of value a column holds, such as text, whole number, decimal, date, or true and false. The type decides what operations make sense.
Where it comes up
- Numbers stored as textA column of quantities contains symbols, separators, or words that stop software reading it as numbers.
See also
- Type coercionConverting a value from one data type to another, such as the text 1,200 to the number 1200. It may be requested, or done automatically by software.
- SchemaThe declared structure of a dataset: its columns, their names and types, and the rules they must satisfy.
- ParsingReading text and working out its structure: turning the characters 03/04/2025 into a date, or one line of a file into separate fields.