Binary Datatype in MySQL

BINARY

• In MySQL, the BINARY datatype is used to store binary data, which means data consisting of bytes rather than character data. It is often used for storing data such as images, audio files, video files, and other binary-encoded information.

Here's a detailed explanation of the BINARY datatype in MySQL:

• The BINARY datatype is used to store fixed-length binary data.

• It is different from the VARCHAR datatype, which is used for variable-length character data.

• BINARY data consists of raw bytes rather than character representations.

    BINARY(n)

• "n" represents the fixed length of the BINARY column, specifying the number of bytes it can hold.

• The value of "n" can range from 1 to 255 in MySQL, depending on the version.

• BINARY columns always use the maximum defined length for storage, padding the data with zeros if the actual data length is shorter than the defined length.

• For example, if you define a BINARY(10) column and store binary data of 5 bytes, it will use storage for the full 10 bytes, padding the remaining 5 bytes with zeros.

Example:

• Suppose you have a table named "images," and you want to store image data in its raw binary form. You can define the "image_data" column as BINARY with a fixed length appropriate for the size of your image data.

    CREATE TABLE images (

        id INT PRIMARY KEY,

        image_name VARCHAR(100),

        image_data BINARY(1024)  -- Assuming the image size is up to 1024 bytes.

    );

• In this example, the "image_data" column can store raw binary data for images with a fixed length of 1024 bytes.

• Remember to choose the appropriate size for the BINARY column based on the expected size of the binary data you will be storing. The BINARY datatype is efficient for handling binary data, as it ensures data integrity without any character set conversions or encoding.

VARBINARY

• In MySQL, the VARBINARY datatype is used to store variable-length binary data. It is similar to the BINARY datatype, but VARBINARY allows for storing binary data of varying lengths, whereas BINARY requires a fixed length. Here's a detailed explanation of the VARBINARY datatype in MySQL:

• The VARBINARY datatype is used to store variable-length binary data, such as images, audio files, video files, or any other binary-encoded information.

• It is different from the BINARY datatype, which stores fixed-length binary data.

The syntax to define a VARBINARY column is as follows:

    VARBINARY(n)

• "n" represents the maximum number of bytes that the VARBINARY column can hold.

• The value of "n" can range from 1 to 65,535 in MySQL, depending on the version.

• VARBINARY columns use only the amount of storage required by the actual data stored in them, plus a small overhead for the length of the data.

• Unlike BINARY, VARBINARY does not require padding with zeros, making it more space-efficient for storing variable-length binary data.

Example:

• Suppose you have a table named "documents," and you want to store binary data for various documents, such as PDFs or Word files. You can define the "document_data" column as VARBINARY with an appropriate maximum length.

    CREATE TABLE documents (

        id INT PRIMARY KEY,

        document_name VARCHAR(100),

        document_data VARBINARY(4096)  -- Assuming the document size is up to 4096 bytes.

    );

• In this example, the "document_data" column can store variable-length binary data for different documents, with a maximum length of 4096 bytes.

• Remember to choose the appropriate size for the VARBINARY column based on the expected size of the binary data you will be storing. VARBINARY is efficient for handling binary data of varying lengths, providing flexibility and space efficiency.

BLOB

• In MySQL, the BLOB (Binary Large Object) datatype is used to store large binary data, such as images, audio files, video files, or any other binary-encoded information that exceeds the capacity of other binary datatypes. BLOB is suitable for very large binary data that does not require character set processing.

Here's a detailed explanation of the BLOB datatype in MySQL:

• The BLOB datatype is designed to store variable-length binary data, which can be extremely large, ranging from a few bytes to several gigabytes.

• BLOB is different from BINARY and VARBINARY in that it allows for the storage of much larger binary data.

Types of BLOB Datatypes:

• TINYBLOB:
• Maximum capacity: 255 bytes.
• Suitable for storing very small binary objects.

• BLOB:
• Maximum capacity: 65,535 bytes.
• Ideal for storing larger binary data, such as images or small audio clips.

• MEDIUMBLOB:
• Maximum capacity: 16,777,215 bytes.
• Suited for even larger binary data compared to BLOB.

• LONGBLOB:
• Maximum capacity: 4,294,967,295 bytes.
• Can store extremely large binary data.

• BLOB data is stored separately from the table's regular data, which can have implications for performance when dealing with large datasets.

• When you access a BLOB column, MySQL fetches the data separately, which may result in slightly slower retrieval times compared to other datatypes.

Example:

• Suppose you have a table named "media," and you want to store images of varying sizes. You can define the "image_data" column as a BLOB.

    CREATE TABLE media (

        id INT PRIMARY KEY,

        image_name VARCHAR(100),

        image_data BLOB

    );

• In this example, the "image_data" column can store large binary image data.

• Remember that while BLOB is suitable for very large binary data, it should be used for such data and not for smaller binary objects. For smaller binary data, consider using VARBINARY or other appropriate datatypes. BLOB provides the necessary capacity for handling extensive binary data without character set processing.