SQL Server Data Type 5 Quick Guide for Postgres User

1. The NVARCHAR

In postgres, we only have VARCHAR

The NVARCHAR is unicode VARCHAR it required twice storage

If you store somthing that might have some extra language or charactor always use NVARCHAR

2. Number

The Postgres have double precision

SQL Server have Real and Float where Real is old school version of Float

The NUMERIC = DECIMAL is the same here as well as basic type like int

3. No JSON and ARRAY

There is some workaround to this issue to add some hook to preprocess and postprocess in and out database table

Store JSON documents in SQL Server or SQL Database - SQL Server

But I think it is much worse experience.

So basically no this type and avoid modelling in this type.

4. Never use Money

Just like Postgres offer the money type.

MONEY
SMALLMONEY

It doesn’t work for multiplication and division where some people argue that it is the user input fault i.e., why do you multiple / divide money with money type?

See the discussion here

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/582797/should-you-choose-the-money-or-decimalx-y-datatypes-in-sql-server

So why we use something that is not universally accepted without any benefits?

We can stick to the classic DECIMAL that everyone knows without any problems.

5. Datetime2

The timestamptz and timestamp will turns to Datetime2

Yes, with 2 you read it right.