Define fixed length fields

Answer 1

Fixed length fields are columns in a database table that always use a set amount of space for each row of data in the table. A fixed length field of 50 characters will always consume 50 characters for that field, regardless of how long the actual data in that field requires. Fixed length fields typically use more storage resources than variable length fields, but they are a bit faster for the processor to work with, since the length only needs to be determined once. Fixed length fields are appropriate for data where the length is constant. Some examples of fields that are good candidates for fixed length fields include Social Security Numbers, fixed length postal codes/ZIP Codes and telephone numbers (provided international data is unexpected.) Data that varies in length should be stored in a variable length field, as it will take less physical storage space and will not need to be truncated to remove extra spaces.