SMALLFLOAT

SMALLFLOAT corresponds to the float data type in C. The range of values for a SMALLFLOAT data type is the same as the range of values for the C float data type on your computer.

A SMALLFLOAT data type column typically stores scientific numbers that can be calculated only approximately. Because floating-point numbers retain only their most significant digits, the number that you enter in this type of column and the number the database displays might differ slightly depending on how your computer stores floating-point numbers internally.

For example, you might enter a value of 1.1000001 in a SMALLFLOAT field and, after processing the SQL statement, the application might display this value as 1.1. This difference occurs when a value has more digits than the floating-point number can store. In this case, the value is stored in its approximate form with the least significant digits treated as zeros.

SMALLFLOAT data types usually require four bytes of storage. Conversion of a SMALLFLOAT value to a DECIMAL value results in nine digits of precision.