Data Types

Vertica supports the following data types.

Structured Data

Structured data consists of all data that can be stored in a relational database. it is stored in rows and column and have relational keys that can be easily mapped to pre-designed fields. See SQL Data Types for a list of the data types that Vertica supports.

Semi-structured Data

Data that does not reside in a relational database, but contains properties that allow it to be analyzed. Examples of semi-structured data are XML and JSON .

XML Example

<person>
  <firstName>John</firstName>
  <lastName>Smith</lastName>
  <age>25</age>
  <address>
     <streetAddress>22 3rd Street</streetAddress>
     <City>New York</City>
     <state>NY</state>
     <postalCode>10021</postalCode>
  </address>
  <phoneNumbers>
      <phoneNumber>
        <type>home</type>
        <number>212 555 5478</number>
      </phonenumber>
      <phonenumber>
        <type>mobile</type>
        <number>212 555 7841</number>
      </phonenumber>
   </phoneNumbers>
   <gender>
      <type>Male</type>
   </gender>
</person>

JSON Example

{
  "firstName": "John",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "age": 25,
  "address": {
     "streetAddress": "22 3rd Street",
     "city": "New York",
     "state": "NY"
     "postalCode": "10021"
},

Unstructured Data

Represents the majority of existing data. Unstructured data does not have a pre-defined structure. It typically includes text and multi-media content, for example emails, video files, and audio files. See Using Flex Tablesfor information on using unstructured data in Vertica.