Data types are assigned to a MYSQL table when the table is first created.
Let's take a quick look at some of the basic data type options available:
| Data Type | Type of Data Stored In Data Type |
|---|---|
| TINYINT | Numeric Type (-128 thru 127) |
| SMALLINT | Numeric Type (-32768 thru 32767) |
| MEDIUMINT | Numeric Type (-8388608 thru 8388607) |
| INT | Numeric Type (-2147483648 thru 2147483647) |
| BIGINT | Numeric Type (9223372036854775808 thru 9223372036854775807) |
| CHAR() | Characters Without Trailing Spaces (0 thru 255) |
| VARCHAR() | Characters With Trailing Spaces (0 thru 65535) |
| TINYTEXT | Text With Maximum Length of 255 Characters |
| TEXT | Text With Maximum Length of 65,535 Characters |
| MEDIUMTEXT | Text With Maximum Length of 16,777,215 Characters |
| LONGTEXT | Text With Maximum Length of 4,294,967,295 Characters |
| DATETIME | Date/Time Type (0000-00-00 00:00:00) |
| DATE | Date/Time Type (0000-00-00) |
| TIMESTAMP | Date/Time Type (0000-00-00 00:00:00) |
| TIME | Date/Time Type (00:00:00) |
| YEAR | Date/Time Type (0000) |
It's all a matter of picking the best option for the type of data that you plan to store, and sticking to the plan!
MYSQL operators are most often used when searching for patterns. Let's review some of the most common operators:
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
| AND, && | Logical AND |
| = | Assign a Value (As Part of a SET Statement, or As Part of the SET Clause In An UPDATE Statement) |
| / | Division Operator |
| = | Equal Operator |
| >= | Greater Than or Equal Operator |
| > | Greater Than Operator |
| <= | Less Than or Equal Operator |
| < | Less Than Operator |
| LIKE | Simple Pattern Matching |
| - | Minus Operator |
| % | Modulo Operator |
| !=, <> | Not Equal Operator |
| NOT LIKE | Negation of Simple Pattern Matching |
| ||, OR | Logical OR |
| + | Addition Operator |
| * | Multiplication Operator |
As we progress, you will see some of these operators used, and can begin to experiment with others.