To: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
From: Thomas Kellerer <spam_eater@gmx.net>
Subject: Re: Finding Max Value in a Row
Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 22:05:24 +0200
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Carlos Mennens wrote on 11.05.2012 21:53:
  
> Very good question and asked by myself to the original SQL author and
> he explained while he didn't use the most efficient data types, he
> used ones "he" felt would be more transparent across a multitude of
> RDBMS vendors. So the answer is no, it would not be an issue
> considering I use and will always use PostgreSQL. If someone else uses
> a different vendor, they can manage that import/export process then.

You should tell those people that char is a bad choice in _any_ DBMS due to the padding that is involved.

varchar would have been slightly better.

But it's never, ever a good idea to store numbers in a character column.
*Every* RDBMS has some kind of integer datatype (they might just have different names).