Oracle Year Datatype

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using the year datatype in oracle 21c

Oracle 21c is the latest version of the Oracle database management system. It introduces several new features and improvements, one of which is the Year datatype. In this article, we will take a closer look at the Year datatype in Oracle 21c and its benefits.

Introduction to Oracle Year Datatype

In Oracle 21c, a brand-new datatype called Year was added that is made particularly for storing the year value. The fixed-length datatype can store year values between 1 and 9999. The Year datatype is an addition to the existing date and timestamp datatypes that enables more effective storing of year information.

While it assists in code simplification and decreases the amount of store space needed for year values, the Year datatype is an important addition to the Oracle database management system. Before the Year datatype was created, programmers had to store year values using the date or timestamp datatype. However, this strategy was ineffective, necessitating more storage space and complicating the code.

Also, check: Oracle smallint Datatype

Benefits of Year Datatype

There are several benefits of using the Year datatype in Oracle 21c. Some of these benefits include.

  • Space Saving: Compared to the date or timestamp datatypes, the year datatype takes less storage space. As a result, utilising the Year datatype can aid in lowering the database’s storage needs.
  • Better Query Performance: The Year datatype can enhance query performance because it requires less storage space. This is due to the fact that when data is stored more compactly, the database can retrieve and process it more quickly.
  • Code Simplification: By eliminating the need for programmers to alter the date or timestamp datatypes in order to extract the year value, the Year datatype simplifies code. This makes it simpler to maintain and requires less code to accomplish the same purpose.
  • More Accurate Data: The Year datatype ensures that only valid year values are stored in the database. This eliminates the possibility of storing incorrect year values and ensures that the data is accurate.

Syntax of Year Datatype in oracle 21c

column_name YEAR

Example of Year Datatype in oracle 21c

Suppose you want to create a table to store information about books, including their titles, authors, publication dates, and prices. You write the following SQL statement:

CREATE TABLE books (
  book_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  title VARCHAR2(100),
  author VARCHAR2(50),
  publication_date DATE,
  price DECIMAL(10,2),
  publisher YEAR
);
using the year datatype in oracle 21c
using the year datatype in oracle 21c

However, when you try to execute this statement, you receive the ORA-00902 error, with the message “invalid datatype”.

The problem here is that “YEAR” is not a valid datatype in Oracle. The correct datatype for storing a year value is “NUMBER”. To fix this error, you need to replace “YEAR” with “NUMBER” in the SQL statement.

CREATE TABLE books (
  book_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  title VARCHAR2(100),
  author VARCHAR2(50),
  publication_date DATE,
  price DECIMAL(10,2),
  publisher NUMBER(4)
);
Using the number datatype in oracle 21c
Using the number datatype in oracle 21c

Read: Oracle nclob Datatype

Advantages of Year Datatype in oracle 21c

The use of the year datatype in Oracle 21c can offer several advantages over other datatypes, such as:

  • Storage effectiveness: The year data type uses less storage space than other date and time data types since it just contains the year portion of a date. When storage is an issue for huge databases, this can be extremely helpful.
  • Data consistency can be achieved by using the year datatype, which limits the input to only four-digit integers. By doing so, data quality can be enhanced and entry errors can be avoided.
  • Increased query speed: By minimizing the amount of data that needs to be processed, employing the year datatype can enhance query performance when querying data that contains dates. This may result in quicker query execution times and enhanced database performance as a whole.
  • Ease of use: The year datatype is easy to use and understand, especially for non-technical users who may not be familiar with other date and time data types. This can reduce training requirements and improve user adoption of database applications.

Disadvantages of Year Datatype in oracle 21c

While the year datatype in Oracle 21c offers several advantages, it also has some potential disadvantages that should be taken into consideration, such as:

  • Restricted functionality: The year datatype does not contain time or fractional seconds; it only saves the year component of the date. This may restrict the functionality of programs that need a more accurate date and time information.
  • Decreased precision: When working with date and time computations or comparisons, using the year datatype may lead to reduced precision. In some application circumstances, this may result in errors or inaccuracies.
  • Application incompatibility: Programs that were created to use different date and time datatypes may not be compatible with the year datatype, necessitating extensive code upgrades or revisions.
  • Language time limits: Certain computer languages might not support the year datatype or could need extra code to handle it properly.
  • Potential for data entry errors: While the year datatype can help enforce data consistency, it may also lead to data entry errors if users input incorrect or incomplete year values.

Features of Year Datatype in oracle 21c

The year datatype in Oracle 21c has several features that make it a useful option for storing year data in database applications, including:

  • Storage effectiveness: The year datatype uses less storage space than other date and time data types since it just contains the year part of a date.
  • By limiting the input to four-digit integers only, the year datatype maintains data consistency. By doing so, data quality can be enhanced and entry errors can be avoided.
  • Performance of queries: The year datatype can enhance query performance by minimizing the amount of information that must be processed when querying dates-containing data. This may result in quicker query execution times and enhanced database performance as a whole.
  • It may be simpler to integrate data from Oracle databases with other systems and applications because the year datatype is popular and supported by other database management systems and computer languages.
  • Performance optimization: The year datatype can be used for performance optimization of specific queries involving date calculations that are required to retrieve only year values.

Conclusion:

So, in this Oracle tutorial, we understood how to define and use the YEAR Datatype in Oracle Database. And we have also covered a few sample examples related to it.

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