> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/ha-and-performance/optimization-and-tuning/optimizing-data-structure/numeric-vs-string-fields.md).

# Numeric vs String Fields

Why choosing numeric over string columns, where possible, improves storage size and comparison speed.

A large numeric value is stored in far fewer bytes than the equivalent string value. It is therefore faster to move and compare numeric data, so it's best to choose numeric columns for unique id's and other similar fields.

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