diff --git a/doc/FAQ b/doc/FAQ index fe50135448..79ec889a16 100644 --- a/doc/FAQ +++ b/doc/FAQ @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL - Last updated: Tue Dec 17 23:56:27 EST 2002 + Last updated: Sun Jan 12 00:16:01 EST 2003 Current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (pgman@candle.pha.pa.us) @@ -834,13 +834,14 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe) space used is slightly greater than the declared size. However, these data types are also subject to compression or being stored out-of-line by TOAST, so the space on disk might also be less than expected. - - CHAR(n) is best when storing strings that are usually the same length. VARCHAR(n) is best when storing variable-length strings but it limits how long a string can be. TEXT is for strings of unlimited length, - maximum 1 gigabyte. BYTEA is for storing binary data, particularly - values that include NULL bytes. These types have similar performance - characteristics. + maximum 1 gigabyte. + + CHAR(n) is for storing strings that are all the same length. CHAR(n) + stores trailing spaces, while VARCHAR(n) trims them. BYTEA is for + storing binary data, particularly values that include NULL bytes. + These types have similar performance characteristics. 4.15.1) How do I create a serial/auto-incrementing field?