Studip question....which requires a simple answer......

Question

If I have a variable defines as:
l_count NUMBER(6,0)
What is the maximum precision (or number) allowed before the 06502 - Number precision too large error is thrown??
thanks

Answer 1

It's annoying.
Because
(1) the way Oracle document this.
(2) inconsistency in how this works
Oracle say:
NUMBER[(precision,scale)]
Where:
"precision is the total number of digits"
"scale, which is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point."
Which of course is not the correct definition of precision and scale.
However to answer the question:
NUMBER(precision) -- same as NUMBER(precision,0)
NUMBER(6,0)
SQ> declare
2 v_number NUMBER(6,0);
3 begin
4 v_number := 100000;
5* end;
15:54:06 SQL>/
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
SQL>declare
2 v_number NUMBER(6,0);
3 begin
4 v_number := 1000001;
5 end;
6 /
declare
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-06502: PL/SQL: numeric or value error: number precision too large
ORA-06512: at line 4
However, you not that although "scale" is set to "0" then you do not have equivalent scale overflow:
1 declare
2 v_number NUMBER(6,0);
3 begin
4 v_number := 1.1232323232423423423;
5 dbms_output.put_line(to_char(v_number));
6* end;
15:55:13 SQL>/
1
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
added:
You know I say "this is not correct definition", by which I mean "not the accepted/mathematical" definition.
Of course as in many other area, Oracle are free to define these things how they like.
I just mean that if you have some understanding alread of this concepts, then it can be confusing/misleading that Oracle chose not to observe accepted standards on these definition.
Now I await ensuing flame war, and possible rebuttal using wooden furnitures and the like.
Message was edited by:
The Flying Spontinalli