# Data types

SurrealQL allows you to describe data with specific data types. These data types are used to validate data and to generate the appropriate database schema.

SurrealQL allows you to describe data with specific data types. These data types are used to validate data and to generate the appropriate database schema.

## Data types

<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th scope="col">Type</th>
            <th scope="col">Description</th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                <code>any</code>
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                Use this when you explicitly don't want to specify the field's data type. The field will allow any data type supported by SurrealDB.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`array`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/arrays.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                An array of items.
                The array type also allows you to define which types can be stored in the array and the required length.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`bool`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/booleans.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                A value that can be either `true` or `false`.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                <a href="#bytes">[`bytes`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/bytes.md)</a>
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                Stores a value in a byte array.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`datetime`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/datetimes.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                An [RFC 3339](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3339) compliant data type that stores a date with time and time zone.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`decimal`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/numbers.md#decimal-numbers)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
               Data type for storing [decimal floating point](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimal128_floating-point_format) numbers.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`duration`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/durations.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                Store a value representing a length of time. Can be added or subtracted from datetimes or other durations.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`float`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/numbers.md#floating-point-numbers)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                Data type for storing [floating point](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-precision_floating-point_format) numbers. Larger or extremely precise values should be stored as a decimal.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                <a href="#geometry"><code>geometry</code></a>
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                <a href="https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7946" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Link to RFC 7946">RFC 7946</a> compliant data type for storing geometry in the <a href="https://geojson.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" title="Link to the GeoJson website">GeoJson format</a>.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`int`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/numbers.md#integer-numbers)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                Store a value in a 64 bit signed integer. Values can range between `-9223372036854775808` and `9223372036854775807` (inclusive). Larger values should be stored as a float or a decimal.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`number`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/numbers.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                Store numbers without specifying the type.
                SurrealDB will detect the type of number and store it using the minimal number of bytes.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`object`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/objects.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                Store formatted objects containing values of any supported type including nested objects or arrays.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`range`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/ranges.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                A range of possible values. Lower and upper bounds can be set, in the absence of which the range becomes open-ended. A range of integers can be used in a FOR loop.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`regex`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/regex.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                A regular expression that can be used for matching strings.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`record`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/record-ids.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                A record ID. Table names can be added inside angle brackets to restrict to certain table names.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [`set`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/sets.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                A set of items.
                The set type also allows you to define which types can be stored in the set and the required length.
                Items are automatically deduplicated and orderd.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
            [`string`](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/strings.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                A value composed of text or text-like characters such as emojis.
            </td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

### Examples

Examples of the `geometry` type:

```surql
-- Define a field with a single type
DEFINE FIELD location ON TABLE restaurant TYPE geometry<point>;
-- Define a field with any geometric type
DEFINE FIELD area ON TABLE restaurant TYPE geometry<feature>;
-- Define a field with specific geometric types
DEFINE FIELD area ON TABLE restaurant
    TYPE geometry<polygon|multipolygon|collection>;
```

Examples of the `bytes` type:

```surql
-- Define a field with a single type
DEFINE FIELD image ON TABLE product TYPE bytes;

-- Create a record with a bytes field and set the value
CREATE foo SET value = <bytes>"bar";
```

## Type expressions

Type expressions are not standalone types, but expressions to indicate which types are permitted.

<table>
    <thead>
        <tr>
            <th scope="col">Type</th>
            <th scope="col">Description</th>
        </tr>
    </thead>
    <tbody>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                [literal](/docs/reference/query-language/language-primitives/data-types/literals.md)
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                A value that may have multiple representations or formats, similar to an enum or a union type. Can be composed of strings, numbers, objects, arrays, or durations.
            </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Type">
                <code>option</code>
            </td>
            <td scope="row" data-label="Description">
                Makes types optional and guarantees the field to be either empty (NONE) or some other type. Syntactic sugar for `type_name | NONE`.
            </td>
        </tr>
    </tbody>
</table>

### Examples

Example of an `option` in a schema:

```surql
DEFINE FIELD friends ON TABLE person TYPE option<array<person>>;
```

Example of a literal type:

```surql
DEFINE FIELD error_msg ON TABLE log TYPE 
    { code: 200, message: string } | 
    { code: 404, message: string };
```

As an option is syntactic sugar for `type | NONE`, an option is also simply another type of literal. This field definition is identical to the `option` example above.

```surql
DEFINE FIELD friends ON TABLE person TYPE array<person> | NONE;
```