Database field type

reference australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read r_DatabaseFieldTypes.md

Several field types are available in the system.

This table shows field types and corresponding MySQL database types. Typically, it isn't necessary to perform any actions at the database level. To learn about changing a field type, see System dictionary.

Field types	Options	Dictionary XML type	MySQL DB type
String	small	string	VARCHAR(40)
String	medium	string	VARCHAR(100)
String	large	string	MEDIUMTEXT
String	extralarge	string	MEDIUMTEXT
Decimal		decimal	Decimal (15,2) older instances may have (12,2)
Integer		integer	Integer
True-False		boolean	TINYINT(1)
Date		glide_date	DATE
Date-Time		glide_date_time	DATETIME
Time		glide_time	DATETIME
Duration		glide_duration	DATETIME
Choice		string	VARCHAR(40)
Suggestion		string	VARCHAR(40)
Journal		journal	MEDIUMTEXT
Reference	<reference table>	reference	VARCHAR(32)
List		glide_list	MEDIUMTEXT
Url		url	MEDIUMTEXT
Image		user_image	VARCHAR(40)
Due-Date		due_date	DATETIME

Note: An example of option types is as follows:

A string field defined in the platform with a max length of 40 characters → VARCHAR(40).
A string field defined in the platform with a max length of x, where x = 41-255 characters, inclusive → VARCHAR(x) [examples: String 42 is VARCHAR(42) and String 211 is VARCHAR(211)].
A string field defined in the platform with a max length of 256 and upwards → MEDIUMTEXT.

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---
title: Database field type
description: Several field types are available in the system.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-administration/r\_DatabaseFieldTypes.html
release: australia
topic_type: reference
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Reference, Field administration, Forms, fields, and lists, Configure core features, Administer the ServiceNow AI Platform]
---

# Database field type

Several field types are available in the system.

This table shows field types and corresponding MySQL database types. Typically, it isn't necessary to perform any actions at the database level. To learn about changing a field type, see [System dictionary](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-administration/table-administration-and-data-management/c_SystemDictionary.md).

|Field types|Options|Dictionary XML type|MySQL DB type|
|-----------|-------|-------------------|-------------|
|String|small|string|VARCHAR\(40\)|
|String|medium|string|VARCHAR\(100\)|
|String|large|string|MEDIUMTEXT|
|String|extralarge|string|MEDIUMTEXT|
|Decimal| |decimal|Decimal \(15,2\) older instances may have \(12,2\)|
|Integer| |integer|Integer|
|True-False| |boolean|TINYINT\(1\)|
|Date| |glide\_date|DATE|
|Date-Time| |glide\_date\_time|DATETIME|
|Time| |glide\_time|DATETIME|
|Duration| |glide\_duration|DATETIME|
|Choice| |string|VARCHAR\(40\)|
|Suggestion| |string|VARCHAR\(40\)|
|Journal| |journal|MEDIUMTEXT|
|Reference|&lt;reference table&gt;|reference|VARCHAR\(32\)|
|List| |glide\_list|MEDIUMTEXT|
|Url| |url|MEDIUMTEXT|
|Image| |user\_image|VARCHAR\(40\)|
|Due-Date| |due\_date|DATETIME|

**Note:** An example of option types is as follows:

-   A string field defined in the platform with a max length of 40 characters → VARCHAR\(40\).
-   A string field defined in the platform with a max length of x, where x = 41-255 characters, inclusive → VARCHAR\(x\) \[examples: String 42 is VARCHAR\(42\) and String 211 is VARCHAR\(211\)\].
-   A string field defined in the platform with a max length of 256 and upwards → MEDIUMTEXT.