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When you are defining the fields for your database tables you will have a lot of fields that contain text. In this article we look at the difference between defining those fields as char or varchar and the situations where one may be better than the other. Of course you may be using a database where the optimiser will automatically switch the type if you specify the less efficient one for you in which case you may not need this information to be able to make the choice but it will still be useful in letting you know how each actually works.

Char or Varchar

All relational databases support Structured Query language (abbreviated SQL - pronounced Sequel). The most commonly used statement in SQL is the select statement which is used to extract data from the tables and views in your database for use in your program. This article looks at all of the component parts of a select statement and how they are used to allow exactly the data that is required to be retrieved from the database in the most efficient way possible without retrieving any unnecessary data with it.

Select Statements

To use most server side scripts you need a database. How you actually set up your database depends on what hosting you have. If your host only provides you with one database they may have set it up for you already.

If you have to set up your own database and your hosting uses cPanel then there is a simple wizard tool available to help you set up your database. This short tutorial shows you how to use it.

Creating a Database Using cPanel