Display Size

The display size of a column is the maximum number of characters needed to display data in character form. The following table defines the display size for each ODBC SQL data type.

SQL type identifier Display size
All character types[a] The defined (for fixed types) or maximum (for variable types) number of characters needed to display the data in character form.
SQL_DECIMAL SQL_NUMERIC The precision of the column plus 2 (a sign, precision digits, and a decimal point). For example, the display size of a column defined as NUMERIC(10,3) is 12.
SQL_BIT 1 (1 digit).
SQL_TINYINT 4 if signed (a sign and 3 digits) or 3 if unsigned (3 digits).
SQL_SMALLINT 6 if signed (a sign and 5 digits) or 5 if unsigned (5 digits).
SQL_INTEGER 11 if signed (a sign and 10 digits) or 10 if unsigned (10 digits).
SQL_BIGINT 20 (a sign and 19 digits if signed or 20 digits if unsigned).
SQL_REAL 14 (a sign, 7 digits, a decimal point, the letter E, a sign, and 2 digits).
SQL_FLOAT SQL_DOUBLE 24 (a sign, 15 digits, a decimal point, the letter E, a sign, and 3 digits).
All binary types[a] The defined or maximum (for variable types) length of the column times 2. (Each binary byte is represented by a 2-digit hexadecimal number.)
SQL_TYPE_DATE 10 (a date in the format yyyy-mm-dd).
SQL_TYPE_TIME 8 (a time in the format hh:mm:ss)

- or -

9 + s (a time in the format hh:mm:ss[.fff...], where s is the fractional seconds precision).
SQL_TYPE_TIMESTAMP 19 (for a timestamp in the yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss format)

- or -

20 + s (for a timestamp in the yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss[.fff...] format, where s is the fractional seconds precision).
All interval data types See Interval Data Type Length.
SQL_GUID 36 (the number of characters in the aaaaaaaa-bbbb-cccc-dddd-eeeeeeeeeeee format

[a] If the driver cannot determine the column or parameter length of variable types, it returns SQL_NO_TOTAL.