Hi,
Would ENUM('1','2','3','4','5') be a sensible datatype for a product rating which must be between 1 and 5?
Thanks!
+5
A:
Yes, that would be an appropriate data type since it enforces your domain.
If you are going to add (or do any other mathematical operation) them together, however, a numeric data type might be better.
Daniel A. White
2010-01-12 14:03:38
Indeed, or if you intended to average them. TINYINT is probably more appropriate, just make sure you constrain the values in your application.
Jordan
2010-01-12 14:08:12
Danny King
2010-01-12 14:09:43
@Jordan, my thoughts exactly. ENUM really shines if you have a fixed list of texts, and there is no numerical connotation
Roland Bouman
2010-01-12 14:09:48
heh thanks Jordan, you beat me to it
Danny King
2010-01-12 14:10:14
@Danny King - yes, definitely. The stars is a matter of presentation. but as far as data is concerned you are quite literally 'counting starts'. So an integer type is completely appropriate.
Roland Bouman
2010-01-12 14:10:46
+5
A:
I suggest using
TINYINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL
or, for better ANSI/SQL compatibility, use:
SMALLINT NOT NULL
With an integer type, it is much easier to do calculations. ENUM is not bad, but there is a potential to mess up because it's kind of a dual string/int type (beneath the covers, it's an int, but from the outside, it's a string). And indeed, suppose you do feel the need to go to 3 stars, or 10 stars or so, the migration will be much less painful.
Roland Bouman
2010-01-12 14:08:42