Character Data Types
Each character data type represents a particular combination of storage space usage and letter case treatment. ALPHA, VARALPHA, CHAR, and VARCHAR values can contain letters, digits, spaces, symbols, and hexadecimal codes.
Character Data Type Characteristics
| Data Type | Data Length | Treatment of Letter Case |
| ALPHA | Fixed (padded with trailing blanks if necessary) | Case insensitive (but, case is stored and visible on display) |
| VARALPHA | Variable | Case insensitive (but, case is stored and visible on display) |
| CHAR | Fixed (padded with trailing blanks if necessary) | Case insensitive |
| VARCHAR | Variable | Case insensitive |
See Also
Data Types and Storage of Values