What PostgreSQL Data Type is Best for Storing Java BigDecimal?

What PostgreSQL column type should I use to store a Java BigDecimal?

CREATE TABLE example (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    decimal_value NUMERIC(10, 2)
);

To effectively store Java BigDecimal values in PostgreSQL, the NUMERIC data type is recommended due to its precision and ability to handle arbitrary precision digits.

CREATE TABLE products (
    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
    price NUMERIC(15, 2)
);

Causes

• Java BigDecimal can represent numbers of any size with user-defined precision.
• PostgreSQL provides the NUMERIC type for high accuracy, matching BigDecimal's capabilities.

Solutions

• Use the NUMERIC type for storing BigDecimal; it allows specifying precision and scale according to your requirements.
• Define columns with appropriate precision, like NUMERIC(precision, scale), where precision is the total number of digits, and scale is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point.

Mistake: Using FLOAT or DOUBLE PRECISION which can lead to rounding errors.

Solution: Always prefer NUMERIC or DECIMAL for accurate financial calculations.

Mistake: Not specifying precision and scale which could lead to data truncation.

Solution: Define your column with NUMERIC(precision, scale) to prevent accidental loss of data.