Oracle timestamp data type

The number in parentheses specifies the precision of fractional seconds to be stored. So, (0) would mean don't store any fraction of a second, and use only whole seconds. The default value if unspecified is 6 digits after the decimal separator.

So an unspecified value would store a date like:

TIMESTAMP 24-JAN-2012 08.00.05.993847 AM

And specifying (0) stores only:

TIMESTAMP(0) 24-JAN-2012 08.00.05 AM

See Oracle documentation on data types.

Quite simply the number is the precision of the timestamp, the fraction of a second held in the column:

SQL> create table t23  2  (ts0 timestamp(0)  3   , ts3 timestamp(3)  4  , ts6 timestamp(6)  5  )  6  /Table created.SQL> insert into t23 values (systimestamp, systimestamp, systimestamp)  2  /1 row created.SQL> select * from t23  2  /TS0---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS3---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS6---------------------------------------------------------------------------24-JAN-12 05.57.12 AM24-JAN-12 05.57.12.003 AM24-JAN-12 05.57.12.002648 AMSQL> 

If we don't specify a precision then the timestamp defaults to six places.

SQL> alter table t23 add ts_def timestamp;Table altered.SQL> update t23        2  set ts_def = systimestamp  3  /1 row updated.SQL> select * from t23  2  /TS0---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS3---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS6---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS_DEF---------------------------------------------------------------------------24-JAN-12 05.57.12 AM24-JAN-12 05.57.12.003 AM24-JAN-12 05.57.12.002648 AM24-JAN-12 05.59.27.293305 AMSQL> 

Note that I'm running on Linux so my TIMESTAMP column actually gives me precision to six places i.e. microseconds. This would also be the case on most (all?) flavours of Unix. On Windows the limit is three places i.e. milliseconds. (Is this still true of the most modern flavours of Windows - citation needed).

As might be expected, the documentation covers this. Find out more.

"when you create timestamp(9) this gives you nanos right"

Only if the OS supports it. As you can see, my OEL appliance does not:

SQL> alter table t23 add ts_nano timestamp(9)  2  /Table altered.SQL> update t23 set ts_nano = systimestamp(9)  2  /1 row updated.SQL> select * from t23  2  /TS0---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS3---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS6---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS_DEF---------------------------------------------------------------------------TS_NANO---------------------------------------------------------------------------24-JAN-12 05.57.12 AM24-JAN-12 05.57.12.003 AM24-JAN-12 05.57.12.002648 AM24-JAN-12 05.59.27.293305 AM24-JAN-12 08.28.03.990557000 AMSQL> 

(Those trailing zeroes could be a coincidence but they aren't.)