CHAR stores fixed-length text values

Description:
The CHAR data type is a fixed-length character data type used in databases to store text values with a specific number of characters. When a CHAR column is created, a maximum length is defined, such as CHAR(10), which reserves space for exactly 10 characters. If the stored value is shorter than the defined length, the database adds padding spaces to fill the remaining space.

CHAR is commonly used for storing data that always has a consistent length, such as country codes, status codes, employee IDs, or fixed-format identifiers. For example, a CHAR(2) column can store state abbreviations like "CA" or "NY". Because the length is fixed, CHAR can provide efficient storage and faster data retrieval in situations where values have predictable sizes.

The main difference between CHAR and VARCHAR is that CHAR always uses the defined storage size, while VARCHAR uses only the space needed for the actual value. CHAR is best suited for short, uniform data, while VARCHAR is better for variable-length text such as names, addresses, or descriptions. Choosing the correct data type helps improve database performance and storage efficiency.