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Asked: 2026-05-28T03:39:21+00:00

I am experimenting with a possible data structure for an app of mine, and

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I am experimenting with a possible data structure for an app of mine, and I need to provision a column in one of my SQL Server data tables to hold various data of unpredictable size.

Literally, this could mean a string of text, or a Base64 encoded video clip and everything in between.

I realize that the instant response is going to be that I should provision different tables for different types — and I don’t disagree — but please humor me here.

varchar(MAX)?  
nvarchar(MAX)?

I am not a DBA so I don’t know what type gives me the most flexibility for the lowest storage cost.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    VARBINARY(MAX)?

    In principle, trying to force multiple different data types into a single type is a bad idea. You may be better served with a different table for each type. But if you’re never going to search the field, you should be able to do anything with a binary field…

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