Introduction to PostgreSQL bigint Data Type

PostgreSQL is a popular open-source relational database management system that supports various data types, including bigint. bigint is an integer data type provided by PostgreSQL that is typically used to store integers that exceed the range of standard integer types.

Syntax

The bigint data type can store integers in the range of -9223372036854775808 to 9223372036854775807. To declare a column with the bigint type in a table, you can use the following syntax:

column_name bigint

Use Cases

In general, standard integer types can be used to store integers that need to be stored. However, if you need to store very large integers, you can use the bigint type. For example, when dealing with large datasets, you may need to use the bigint type.

Examples

Example 1: Creating a table with a bigint column

Here is an example of a table that includes a column with the bigint type:

CREATE TABLE mytable (
  id serial PRIMARY KEY,
  big_number bigint
);

Example 2: Performing calculations with bigint type

You can perform regular arithmetic operations, such as addition and multiplication, using the bigint type. Here is an example query that calculates the product of two numbers using the bigint type:

SELECT 1234567890123456789::bigint * 9876543210987654321::bigint;

The result of the query is:

12193263113702179504337291988415979969

Conclusion

The bigint data type is a useful tool for storing integers that exceed the range of standard integer types. It is particularly useful when you need to store very large integers.