Adjusting Data Types

Since computed items are new data items, confirm or change the data type of the item to preserve the precision of a mixed-data type computations, or to change the way a data item is handled (for example, interpreting number as strings). This ensures the correct handling of data in server computations.

Attention to data types is most important when computing items in the Query section. Here the computation is performed on the database server, and the computed item may be handled with an unanticipated data type.

Local calculations (Results or Pivot) are handled internally, and adjustment between 16- and 32-bit integers can be handled safely using the automatic or number data type specification.

Table 36. Data Types in Results and Tables

Data TypeSpecification

Automatic

A data type is determined automatically given the data type of the reference items and the computations performed

Number

Numeric data type.

String

Text strings to a maximum length of 256 characters

Date

Calendar date in server default format (typically mm/dd/yy)

Picture

Picture (Blob) data types for image formats such as: jpeg, bmp, gif, and png.