Every column of a table in the repository has a data type, chosen in "Data Type" of the table column. The data type decides how the value is stored in the database and how a screen shows it. The data types in use: - `varchar2`: text of variable length. The length is counted in characters (length type `C`) so that every language fits, or in bytes (length type `B`). - `char`: text of fixed length. It is used with length 1 for [[Invantive Studio/Repository/Concepts/Flag Column|flag columns]]. - `number`: a number, with an optional precision and scale. An amount has precision 13 and scale 2 in Invantive Estate, and an identity has precision 15. - `date`: a date without a time of day. - `datetime`: a date with a time of day, to the second. - `time`: a time of day. - `clob`: a long text, without a practical limit on its length. - `blob`: binary content, such as an image or a document. - `bfile`: a file stored outside the database, referred to by its location. - `xmltype`: an XML document. How a value is shown and entered is decided separately, by the [[Invantive Studio/Repository/Reference/Display Controls|display control]] of the column.