| Goal | This query identifies a logical redundancy and likely data type misuse by finding CHAR columns that have a CHECK constraint on their value's length. The CHAR(n) data type is fixed-width and space-padded, meaning any non-NULL value will have a character length of exactly n. Therefore, a CHECK constraint on length is either superfluous (if it checks <= n) or will always fail (if it checks < n). This pattern indicates that the developer intended to store a variable-length string with a maximum length, for which the VARCHAR data type is the correct and more efficient choice. |
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| Notes | The query also considers columns that have been specified by using a domain. |
| Type | Problem detection (Each row in the result could represent a flaw in the design) |
| Reliability | Medium (Medium number of false-positive results) |
| License | MIT (opens in new tab) |
| Fixing Suggestion | Change the column type to VARCHAR(n). |
| Data Source | INFORMATION_SCHEMA+system catalog |
| SQL Query |
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Collections
This query belongs to the following collections:
Find problems automatically
Queries, that results point to problems in the database. Each query in the collection produces an initial assessment. However, a human reviewer has the final say as to whether there is a problem or not .
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Find problems automatically | Queries, that results point to problems in the database. Each query in the collection produces an initial assessment. However, a human reviewer has the final say as to whether there is a problem or not . |
Categories
This query is classified under the following categories:
CHECK constraints
Queries of this category provide information about CHECK constraints.
Data types
Queries of this category provide information about the data types and their usage.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| CHECK constraints | Queries of this category provide information about CHECK constraints. |
| Data types | Queries of this category provide information about the data types and their usage. |