Tag Archives: SMALLINT Vs INT

Difference between SMALLINT and INT data type in Sql Server

Differences, Sql Server, , , , , , ,

Both SMALLINT and INT are exact numeric data types, used for storing integer value. Below table lists out the major difference between SMALLINT and INT Data Types.

[ALSO READ] TINYINT Vs SMALLINT

SMALLINT

INT
Storage Size 2 Bytes 4 Bytes
Minimum Value -32,768 (-2^15) -2,147,483,648 (-2^31)
Maximum Value 32,767 (2^15-1) 2,147,483,647 (2^31-1)
Usage Example 
DECLARE @i SMALLINT
SET @i = 150
PRINT @i

RESULT:
150 

DECLARE @i INT
SET @i = 150
PRINT @i

RESULT:
150

Example of Storage Size used by the variable to store the value 
DECLARE @i SMALLINT
SET @i = 150
PRINT DATALENGTH( @i)

RESULT:
2 

DECLARE @i INT
SET @i = 150
PRINT DATALENGTH( @i)

RESULT:
4

Example of SMALLINT out of range value 
DECLARE @i SMALLINT
SET @i = 32768
PRINT @i

RESULT:

Msg 220, Level 16, State 1, Line 2
Arithmetic overflow error for data type smallint, value = 32768. 

DECLARE @i INT
SET @i = 32768
PRINT @i

RESULT:
32768

Try to store Negative value 
DECLARE @i SMALLINT
SET @i = -150
PRINT @i

RESULT:
-150 

DECLARE @i INT
SET @i = -150
PRINT @i

RESULT:
-150

Example of both SMALLINT and INT out of range value 
DECLARE @i SMALLINT
SET @i = 2147483648
PRINT @i

RESULT:

Msg 8115, Level 16, State 2, Line 2
Arithmetic overflow error converting expression to data type smallint.

 
DECLARE @i INT
SET @i = 2147483648
PRINT @i

RESULT:

Msg 8115, Level 16, State 2, Line 2
Arithmetic overflow error converting expression to data type int.

[ALSO READ] TINYINT Vs INT

Selecting the correct data type while creating a table is very critical. In-correct selection of the data type will result in performance and storage issues over the time as the data grows. As in-correct selection of data type results requiring more storage space to store and no. of records stored in each data page will be less. And on top if index is created on such columns, it not only takes the extra space in storing the value in a row in the data page but also requires extra space in the index. Less the no. of records stored in the data page, then to serve the queries Sql Server needs to load more no. of data pages to the memory. For example: for table column, which stores state_id, choosing an INT data type instead of TINYINT or SMALLINT column is in-efficient as the number of states in a country in worst case scenario too never exceeds a three-digit number. So, for state_id column if we choose INT data type then it will always take 4 bytes for storing it irrespective of the value stored in it. Whereas TINYINT would have taken 1 byte for storing the same value and SMALLINT would have taken 2 bytes. So, it is very crucial to select the correct data type while creating table. Hope the above differences will help you in selecting the correct data type while creating the table.

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