PostgreSQL Performance & Query Optimization · Lesson

Choosing Appropriate Data Types

Select the most efficient data types for your columns to minimize storage and optimize query processing.

Why Data Types Matter

Choosing the correct data type for your columns in PostgreSQL is a fundamental step in designing an efficient database.

It impacts storage, query performance, and data integrity. Selecting the right type ensures your data is stored efficiently and processed quickly.

PostgreSQL offers several integer types, each with a different storage size and value range:

SMALLINT: 2 bytes, range -32,768 to +32,767
INTEGER (or INT): 4 bytes, range -2,147,483,648 to +2,147,483,647
BIGINT: 8 bytes, range -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to +9,223,372,036,854,775,807

Always choose the smallest integer type that can safely store your expected data range to minimize disk space and improve performance.