What's the Most Efficient Way to Store Gender Data in a Database?

How to Store Gender Data in a Database Efficiently

When storing a user's gender in a database, it's crucial to minimize the impact on size and performance. Here are three potential strategies:

• Integer: Aligning with an Enum definition in code, assign integer values to represent genders (e.g., 1 for Male, 2 for Female).
• Char(1): Use a single-character field to store gender as "m" for male or "f" for female.
• Bit: Utilize the boolean data type (e.g., 0 for Male, 1 for Female).

However, it's important to note that char(1) fields are not necessarily smaller than boolean fields in MS SQL 2008, as previously suggested.

The preferred solution is to adhere to the ISO 5218 standard. According to the standard, the column should be named "Sex," and the recommended data type is "tinyint" with an appropriate CHECK constraint or lookup table. This provides a consistent and reliable way to store gender data across different systems and applications.

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