What is the point of Precision and Scale in Number Type?

Question

Version :11.2
What is the point in having PRECISION and SCALE in number type? If you create the column with just NUMBER ie.without
specifying precision or scale , you can enter numbers with any precision and scale.
SQL> select * From v$version where rownum < 2;
BANNER
Oracle Database 11g Enterprise Edition Release 11.2.0.1.0 - 64bit Production
SQL> create table t1 (col1 number);
Table created.
SQL> insert into t1 values (223.9939394);
1 row created.
SQL> insert into t1 values (88.228384);
1 row created.
SQL> insert into t1 values (9.34);
1 row created.
SQL> insert into t1 values (000.00);
1 row created.
SQL> commit;
Commit complete.
SQL> select * from t1;
      COL1
223.993939
88.228384
      9.34
         0Did you ever have a business scenario where a Numerical column should store values only with a fixed precision and scale ?

Answer 1

Omega3 wrote:
Version :11.2
What is the point in having PRECISION and SCALE in number type? If you create the column with just NUMBER ie.without
specifying precision or scale , you can enter numbers with any precision and scale.
SQL> select * From v$version where rownum < 2;
BANNER
Oracle Database 11g Enterprise Edition Release 11.2.0.1.0 - 64bit Production
SQL> create table t1 (col1 number);
Table created.
SQL> insert into t1 values (223.9939394);
1 row created.
SQL> insert into t1 values (88.228384);
1 row created.
SQL> insert into t1 values (9.34);
1 row created.
SQL> insert into t1 values (000.00);
1 row created.
SQL> commit;
Commit complete.
SQL> select * from t1;
COL1
223.993939
88.228384
9.34
0Did you ever have a business scenario where a Numerical column should store values only with a fixed precision and scale ?Lots of business requirements for specific precisions and scales.
A persons Age may required to be stored as whole numbers of no more than 3 digits.
A sum of money may required to be stored with no more than 2 decimal places of accuracy e.g. GB Pounds and Pence or US Dollars and Cents
A unit of length may required to be stored in metres with 2 decimal places for centimetres
A shoe size may be required to be stored with one decimal place for half sizes
etc.
etc.
Yes, you may just create all of them as generic NUMBER datatype, but creating them with precision and scale can provide additional information about the limitations expected for the values stored, especially for things like reporting tools that may use the specified precision and scale to determine how to display the values automatically (by default).
If you start questioning "what's the point?" then you may as well say what's the point in having a NUMBER datatype when we can store numbers in a VARCHAR2 datatype? or what's the point in having a DATE datatype when we can stored dates as VARCHAR2 datatype? etc.
No point in asking such a question because there's almost always a point to these things (and if there isn't they get deprecated in later versions).