CODEWITHSUNDEEP
mysql
Malfist
Malfist

Reputation: 31795

Should I use BIT(1) or BOOL?

Mysql has two types that can hold boolean data, bit and bool. Bit(1) seems more logical, because that has to be 1 or 0, bool is, according to the specs, the same as saying tinyint(1)

Upvotes: 4

Views: 5975

Answers (4)

Eugene Yarmash
Eugene Yarmash

Reputation: 149823

It's also possible to use the CHAR(0) type. A column that is defined as CHAR(0) NULL occupies only one bit and can take only the values NULL and '' (the empty string).

This is documented here: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/string-type-overview.html

Upvotes: 1

tadamson
tadamson

Reputation: 8851

For keeping things semi-universal / portable across other database vendors, use BIT. MySQL's a step ahead of most servers by even allowing the BOOLEAN keyword.

See: Comparison of different SQL implementations

Upvotes: 5

mikerobi
mikerobi

Reputation: 20878

I think it depends on your application and client library. Some database abstraction layers might expect that a boolean is a type of integer. (I know, technically a bit is an integer)

Upvotes: 1

High Performance Mark
High Performance Mark

Reputation: 78324

Au contraire, bool seems much more logical, especially if you want to record truth and falsity.

Upvotes: 5

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