This is a read-only copy of the MariaDB Knowledgebase generated on 2024-11-14. For the latest, interactive version please visit https://mariadb.com/kb/.

VARBINARY

Syntax

VARBINARY(M)

Description

The VARBINARY type is similar to the VARCHAR type, but stores binary byte strings rather than non-binary character strings. M represents the maximum column length in bytes.

It contains no character set, and comparison and sorting are based on the numeric value of the bytes.

If the maximum length is exceeded, and SQL strict mode is not enabled , the extra characters will be dropped with a warning. If strict mode is enabled, an error will occur.

Unlike BINARY values, VARBINARYs are not right-padded when inserting.

Oracle Mode

In Oracle mode from MariaDB 10.3, RAW is a synonym for VARBINARY.

Examples

Inserting too many characters, first with strict mode off, then with it on:

CREATE TABLE varbins (a VARBINARY(10));

INSERT INTO varbins VALUES('12345678901');
Query OK, 1 row affected, 1 warning (0.04 sec)

SELECT * FROM varbins;
+------------+
| a          |
+------------+
| 1234567890 |
+------------+

SET sql_mode='STRICT_ALL_TABLES';

INSERT INTO varbins VALUES('12345678901');
ERROR 1406 (22001): Data too long for column 'a' at row 1

Sorting is performed with the byte value:

TRUNCATE varbins;

INSERT INTO varbins VALUES('A'),('B'),('a'),('b');

SELECT * FROM varbins ORDER BY a;
+------+
| a    |
+------+
| A    |
| B    |
| a    |
| b    |
+------+

Using CAST to sort as a CHAR instead:

SELECT * FROM varbins ORDER BY CAST(a AS CHAR);
+------+
| a    |
+------+
| a    |
| A    |
| b    |
| B    |
+------+

See Also

Content reproduced on this site is the property of its respective owners, and this content is not reviewed in advance by MariaDB. The views, information and opinions expressed by this content do not necessarily represent those of MariaDB or any other party.