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Data Type Mapping in Rowsets and Parameters

In rowsets and as parameter values, the SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider represents SQL Server data by using the following OLE DB defined data types, reported in the functions IColumnsInfo::GetColumnInfo and ICommandWithParameters::GetParameterInfo.

SQL Server data type

OLE DB data type

bigint

DBTYPE_I8

binary

DBTYPE_BYTES

bit

DBTYPE_BOOL

char

DBTYPE_STR

datetime

DBTYPE_DBTIMESTAMP

datetime2

DBTYPE_DBTIME2

decimal

DBTYPE_NUMERIC

float

DBTYPE_R8

image

DBTYPE_BYTES

int

DBTYPE_I4

money

DBTYPE_CY

nchar

DBTYPE_WSTR

ntext

DBTYPE_WSTR

numeric

DBTYPE_NUMERIC

nvarchar

DBTYPE_WSTR

real

DBTYPE_R4

smalldatetime

DBTYPE_DBTIMESTAMP

smallint

DBTYPE_I2

smallmoney

DBTYPE_CY

sql_variant

DBTYPE_VARIANT, DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT

sysname

DBTYPE_WSTR

text

DBTYPE_STR

timestamp

DBTYPE_BYTES

tinyint

DBTYPE_UI1

UDT

DBTYPE_UDT

uniqueidentifier

DBTYPE_GUID

varbinary

DBTYPE_BYTES

varchar

DBTYPE_STR

XML

DBTYPE_XML

The SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider supports consumer-requested data conversions as shown in the illustration.

The sql_variant objects can hold data of any SQL Server data type except text, ntext, image, varchar(max), nvarchar(max), varbinary(max), xml, timestamp, and Microsoft .NET Framework common language runtime (CLR) user-defined types. An instance of sql_variant data also cannot have sql_variant as its underlying base data type. For example, the column can contain smallint values for some rows, float values for other rows, and char/nchar values in the remainder.

Note

The sql_variant data type is similar to the Variant data type in Microsoft Visual BasicĀ® and the DBTYPE_VARIANT, DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT in OLEDB.

When sql_variant data is fetched as DBTYPE_VARIANT, it is put in a VARIANT structure in the buffer. But the subtypes in the VARIANT structure may not map to subtypes defined in the sql_variant data type. The sql_variant data must then be fetched as DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT in order for all the subtypes to match.

DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT Data Type

To support the sql_variant data type, the SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider exposes a provider-specific data type called DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT. When sql_variant data is fetched in as DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT, it is stored in a provider-specific SSVARIANT structure. The SSVARIANT structure contains all of the subtypes that match the subtypes of the sql_variant data type.

The session property SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT must also be set to TRUE.

Provider-Specific Property SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT

In fetching data, you can specify explicitly what kind of data type should be returned for a column or for a parameter. IColumnsInfo can also be used to get the column information and use that to do the binding. When IColumnsInfo is used to obtain column information for binding purposes, if the SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT session property is FALSE (default value), DBTYPE_VARIANT is returned for sql_variant columns. If SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT property is FALSE DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT is not supported. If SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT property is set to TRUE, the column type is returned as DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT, in which case the buffer will hold the SSVARIANT structure. In fetching sql_variant data as DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT, the session property SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT must be set to TRUE.

SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT property is part of the provider-specific DBPROPSET_SQLSERVERSESSION property set, and is a session property.

DBTYPE_VARIANT applies to all other OLE DB providers.

SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT

SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT is a session property and is part of DBPROPSET_SQLSERVERSESSION property set.

SSPROP_ALLOWNATIVEVARIANT

Type: VT_BOOL

R/W: Read/Write

Default: VARIANT_FALSE

Description: Determines if the data fetched in is as DBTYPE_VARIANT or DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT.

VARIANT_TRUE: Column type is returned as DBTYPE_SQLVARIANT in which case the buffer will hold SSVARIANT structure.

VARIANT_FALSE: Column type is returned as DBTYPE_VARIANT and the buffer will have VARIANT structure.

See Also

Concepts