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NVARCHAR column with a negative maximum length?
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Don
Aug 9, 2008, 7:01:18 PM8/9/08
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I recently created a development copy of a SQL Server 2005 database
from a client's backup, and while examining the structure I found
several tables with NVARCHAR columns with -1 as the maximum number of
characters. In all cases the columns are defined as NOT NULL, but with
no default value. When I query those columns, the value is always a
null string, but not NULL. I cannot find any reference to this in any
of my books, and when I try Googling the quoted string "NVARCHAR(-1)"
all it turns up are resources with the string "NVARCHAR(1)". I'm
stumped. What can this possibly mean?
from a client's backup, and while examining the structure I found
several tables with NVARCHAR columns with -1 as the maximum number of
characters. In all cases the columns are defined as NOT NULL, but with
no default value. When I query those columns, the value is always a
null string, but not NULL. I cannot find any reference to this in any
of my books, and when I try Googling the quoted string "NVARCHAR(-1)"
all it turns up are resources with the string "NVARCHAR(1)". I'm
stumped. What can this possibly mean?
Tom Cooper
Aug 9, 2008, 11:27:44 PM8/9/08
to
Those columns have been declared as nvarchar(max).
Tom
"Don" <don...@gmail.com> wrote in message
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