enum('yes', 'no') vs tinyint -- which one to use?

Question

What's the best practice for fields that hold true/false values?

Such columns can be defined as enum('yes','no') or as tinyint(1). Is one better/faster than the other?

Is it better to use enum('1','0') vs. enum('yes','no') (i.e., does it write 'yes' or 'no' as a string to every row so the database storage size gets bigger)?

A boolean is basically a tinyint(1). – kapa Nov 28 '10 at 14:23 — kapa, Nov 28 '10 at 14:23

score 15 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 28 '10 at 14:39

avoid enum from this reasons

The bottom line is that ENUM has its place, but should be used sparingly. The model should enforce the constraints, not the database; the model should handle interpreting raw data into useful information for your views, not the database.

score 12 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 28 '10 at 14:27

12

BOOLEAN type is there for a reason. It is indeed a TINYINT(1) but since it's there, it must be the recommended way.

answered Nov 28 '10 at 14:27

Michal M

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score 11 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 28 '10 at 14:28

11

Also, ENUM is a non-standard MySql extension. You should avoid it, especially if you can achieve the same results in a standard way.

answered Nov 28 '10 at 14:28

Jon

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enum('yes', 'no') vs tinyint -- which one to use?

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