This documentation is for an out-of-date version of Apache Flink. We recommend you use the latest stable version.

Data Types #

Flink SQL has a rich set of native data types available to users.

Data Type #

A data type describes the logical type of a value in the table ecosystem. It can be used to declare input and/or output types of operations.

Flink’s data types are similar to the SQL standard’s data type terminology but also contain information about the nullability of a value for efficient handling of scalar expressions.

Examples of data types are:

• INT
• INT NOT NULL
• INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND(3)
• ROW<myField ARRAY<BOOLEAN>, myOtherField TIMESTAMP(3)>

A list of all pre-defined data types can be found below.

Data Types in the Table API #

import static org.apache.flink.table.api.DataTypes.*;

DataType t = INTERVAL(DAY(), SECOND(3));

import org.apache.flink.table.api.DataTypes._

val t: DataType = INTERVAL(DAY(), SECOND(3));

from pyflink.table.types import DataTypes

t = DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(), DataTypes.SECOND(3))

Physical Hints #

Physical hints are required at the edges of the table ecosystem where the SQL-based type system ends and programming-specific data types are required. Hints indicate the data format that an implementation expects.

For example, a data source could express that it produces values for logical TIMESTAMPs using a java.sql.Timestamp class instead of using java.time.LocalDateTime which would be the default. With this information, the runtime is able to convert the produced class into its internal data format. In return, a data sink can declare the data format it consumes from the runtime.

Here are some examples of how to declare a bridging conversion class:

// tell the runtime to not produce or consume java.time.LocalDateTime instances
// but java.sql.Timestamp
DataType t = DataTypes.TIMESTAMP(3).bridgedTo(java.sql.Timestamp.class);

// tell the runtime to not produce or consume boxed integer arrays
// but primitive int arrays
DataType t = DataTypes.ARRAY(DataTypes.INT().notNull()).bridgedTo(int[].class);

// tell the runtime to not produce or consume java.time.LocalDateTime instances
// but java.sql.Timestamp
val t: DataType = DataTypes.TIMESTAMP(3).bridgedTo(classOf[java.sql.Timestamp]);

// tell the runtime to not produce or consume boxed integer arrays
// but primitive int arrays
val t: DataType = DataTypes.ARRAY(DataTypes.INT().notNull()).bridgedTo(classOf[Array[Int]]);

Attention Please note that physical hints are usually only required if the API is extended. Users of predefined sources/sinks/functions do not need to define such hints. Hints within a table program (e.g. field.cast(TIMESTAMP(3).bridgedTo(Timestamp.class))) are ignored.

List of Data Types #

This section lists all pre-defined data types.

Character Strings #

CHAR #

Data type of a fixed-length character string.

Declaration

CHAR
CHAR(n)

DataTypes.CHAR(n)

Not supported.

The type can be declared using CHAR(n) where n is the number of code points. n must have a value between 1 and 2,147,483,647 (both inclusive). If no length is specified, n is equal to 1.

VARCHAR / STRING #

Data type of a variable-length character string.

Declaration

VARCHAR
VARCHAR(n)

STRING

DataTypes.VARCHAR(n)

DataTypes.STRING()

DataTypes.VARCHAR(n)

DataTypes.STRING()

The type can be declared using VARCHAR(n) where n is the maximum number of code points. n must have a value between 1 and 2,147,483,647 (both inclusive). If no length is specified, n is equal to 1.

STRING is a synonym for VARCHAR(2147483647).

Binary Strings #

BINARY #

Data type of a fixed-length binary string (=a sequence of bytes).

Declaration

BINARY
BINARY(n)

DataTypes.BINARY(n)

Not supported.

The type can be declared using BINARY(n) where n is the number of bytes. n must have a value between 1 and 2,147,483,647 (both inclusive). If no length is specified, n is equal to 1.

VARBINARY / BYTES #

Data type of a variable-length binary string (=a sequence of bytes).

Declaration

VARBINARY
VARBINARY(n)

BYTES

DataTypes.VARBINARY(n)

DataTypes.BYTES()

DataTypes.VARBINARY(n)

DataTypes.BYTES()

The type can be declared using VARBINARY(n) where n is the maximum number of bytes. n must have a value between 1 and 2,147,483,647 (both inclusive). If no length is specified, n is equal to 1.

BYTES is a synonym for VARBINARY(2147483647).

Exact Numerics #

DECIMAL #

Data type of a decimal number with fixed precision and scale.

Declaration

DECIMAL
DECIMAL(p)
DECIMAL(p, s)

DEC
DEC(p)
DEC(p, s)

NUMERIC
NUMERIC(p)
NUMERIC(p, s)

DataTypes.DECIMAL(p, s)

DataTypes.DECIMAL(p, s)

The type can be declared using DECIMAL(p, s) where p is the number of digits in a number (precision) and s is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point in a number (scale). p must have a value between 1 and 38 (both inclusive). s must have a value between 0 and p (both inclusive). The default value for p is 10. The default value for s is 0.

NUMERIC(p, s) and DEC(p, s) are synonyms for this type.

TINYINT #

Data type of a 1-byte signed integer with values from -128 to 127.

Declaration

TINYINT

DataTypes.TINYINT()

DataTypes.TINYINT()

SMALLINT #

Data type of a 2-byte signed integer with values from -32,768 to 32,767.

Declaration

SMALLINT

DataTypes.SMALLINT()

DataTypes.SMALLINT()

INT #

Data type of a 4-byte signed integer with values from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647.

Declaration

INT

INTEGER

DataTypes.INT()

DataTypes.INT()

INTEGER is a synonym for this type.

BIGINT #

Data type of an 8-byte signed integer with values from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807.

Declaration

BIGINT

DataTypes.BIGINT()

DataTypes.BIGINT()

Approximate Numerics #

FLOAT #

Data type of a 4-byte single precision floating point number.

Compared to the SQL standard, the type does not take parameters.

Declaration

FLOAT

DataTypes.FLOAT()

DataTypes.FLOAT()

DOUBLE #

Data type of an 8-byte double precision floating point number.

Declaration

DOUBLE

DOUBLE PRECISION

DataTypes.DOUBLE()

DataTypes.DOUBLE()

DOUBLE PRECISION is a synonym for this type.

Date and Time #

DATE #

Data type of a date consisting of year-month-day with values ranging from 0000-01-01 to 9999-12-31.

Compared to the SQL standard, the range starts at year 0000.

Declaration

DATE

DataTypes.DATE()

DataTypes.DATE()

TIME #

Data type of a time without time zone consisting of hour:minute:second[.fractional] with up to nanosecond precision and values ranging from 00:00:00.000000000 to 23:59:59.999999999.

Declaration

TIME
TIME(p)

DataTypes.TIME(p)

DataTypes.TIME(p)

The type can be declared using TIME(p) where p is the number of digits of fractional seconds (precision). p must have a value between 0 and 9 (both inclusive). If no precision is specified, p is equal to 0.

TIMESTAMP #

Data type of a timestamp without time zone consisting of year-month-day hour:minute:second[.fractional] with up to nanosecond precision and values ranging from 0000-01-01 00:00:00.000000000 to 9999-12-31 23:59:59.999999999.

Declaration

TIMESTAMP
TIMESTAMP(p)

TIMESTAMP WITHOUT TIME ZONE
TIMESTAMP(p) WITHOUT TIME ZONE

DataTypes.TIMESTAMP(p)

DataTypes.TIMESTAMP(p)

The type can be declared using TIMESTAMP(p) where p is the number of digits of fractional seconds (precision). p must have a value between 0 and 9 (both inclusive). If no precision is specified, p is equal to 6.

TIMESTAMP(p) WITHOUT TIME ZONE is a synonym for this type.

TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE #

Data type of a timestamp with time zone consisting of year-month-day hour:minute:second[.fractional] zone with up to nanosecond precision and values ranging from 0000-01-01 00:00:00.000000000 +14:59 to 9999-12-31 23:59:59.999999999 -14:59.

Compared to TIMESTAMP_LTZ, the time zone offset information is physically stored in every datum. It is used individually for every computation, visualization, or communication to external systems.

Declaration

TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE
TIMESTAMP(p) WITH TIME ZONE

DataTypes.TIMESTAMP_WITH_TIME_ZONE(p)

Not supported.

TIMESTAMP_LTZ #

Data type of a timestamp with local time zone consisting of year-month-day hour:minute:second[.fractional] zone with up to nanosecond precision and values ranging from 0000-01-01 00:00:00.000000000 +14:59 to 9999-12-31 23:59:59.999999999 -14:59.

This type fills the gap between time zone free and time zone mandatory timestamp types by allowing the interpretation of UTC timestamps according to the configured session time zone.

Declaration

TIMESTAMP_LTZ
TIMESTAMP_LTZ(p)

TIMESTAMP WITH LOCAL TIME ZONE
TIMESTAMP(p) WITH LOCAL TIME ZONE

DataTypes.TIMESTAMP_LTZ(p)
DataTypes.TIMESTAMP_WITH_LOCAL_TIME_ZONE(p)

DataTypes.TIMESTAMP_LTZ(p)
DataTypes.TIMESTAMP_WITH_LOCAL_TIME_ZONE(p)

The type can be declared using TIMESTAMP_LTZ(p) where p is the number of digits of fractional seconds (precision). p must have a value between 0 and 9 (both inclusive). If no precision is specified, p is equal to 6.

TIMESTAMP(p) WITH LOCAL TIME ZONE is a synonym for this type.

INTERVAL YEAR TO MONTH #

Data type for a group of year-month interval types.

The type must be parameterized to one of the following resolutions:

• interval of years,
• interval of years to months,
• or interval of months.

An interval of year-month consists of +years-months with values ranging from -9999-11 to +9999-11.

The value representation is the same for all types of resolutions. For example, an interval of months of 50 is always represented in an interval-of-years-to-months format (with default year precision): +04-02.

Declaration

INTERVAL YEAR
INTERVAL YEAR(p)
INTERVAL YEAR(p) TO MONTH
INTERVAL MONTH

DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.YEAR())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.YEAR(p))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.YEAR(p), DataTypes.MONTH())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.MONTH())

DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.YEAR())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.YEAR(p))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.YEAR(p), DataTypes.MONTH())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.MONTH())

The type can be declared using the above combinations where p is the number of digits of years (year precision). p must have a value between 1 and 4 (both inclusive). If no year precision is specified, p is equal to 2.

INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND #

Data type for a group of day-time interval types.

The type must be parameterized to one of the following resolutions with up to nanosecond precision:

• interval of days,
• interval of days to hours,
• interval of days to minutes,
• interval of days to seconds,
• interval of hours,
• interval of hours to minutes,
• interval of hours to seconds,
• interval of minutes,
• interval of minutes to seconds,
• or interval of seconds.

An interval of day-time consists of +days hours:months:seconds.fractional with values ranging from -999999 23:59:59.999999999 to +999999 23:59:59.999999999. The value representation is the same for all types of resolutions. For example, an interval of seconds of 70 is always represented in an interval-of-days-to-seconds format (with default precisions): +00 00:01:10.000000.

Declaration

INTERVAL DAY
INTERVAL DAY(p1)
INTERVAL DAY(p1) TO HOUR
INTERVAL DAY(p1) TO MINUTE
INTERVAL DAY(p1) TO SECOND(p2)
INTERVAL HOUR
INTERVAL HOUR TO MINUTE
INTERVAL HOUR TO SECOND(p2)
INTERVAL MINUTE
INTERVAL MINUTE TO SECOND(p2)
INTERVAL SECOND
INTERVAL SECOND(p2)

DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(p1))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(p1), DataTypes.HOUR())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(p1), DataTypes.MINUTE())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(p1), DataTypes.SECOND(p2))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.HOUR())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.HOUR(), DataTypes.MINUTE())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.HOUR(), DataTypes.SECOND(p2))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.MINUTE())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.MINUTE(), DataTypes.SECOND(p2))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.SECOND())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.SECOND(p2))

DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(p1))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(p1), DataTypes.HOUR())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(p1), DataTypes.MINUTE())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.DAY(p1), DataTypes.SECOND(p2))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.HOUR())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.HOUR(), DataTypes.MINUTE())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.HOUR(), DataTypes.SECOND(p2))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.MINUTE())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.MINUTE(), DataTypes.SECOND(p2))
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.SECOND())
DataTypes.INTERVAL(DataTypes.SECOND(p2))

The type can be declared using the above combinations where p1 is the number of digits of days (day precision) and p2 is the number of digits of fractional seconds (fractional precision). p1 must have a value between 1 and 6 (both inclusive). p2 must have a value between 0 and 9 (both inclusive). If no p1 is specified, it is equal to 2 by default. If no p2 is specified, it is equal to 6 by default.

Constructured Data Types #

ARRAY #

Data type of an array of elements with same subtype.

Compared to the SQL standard, the maximum cardinality of an array cannot be specified but is fixed at 2,147,483,647. Also, any valid type is supported as a subtype.

Declaration

ARRAY<t>
t ARRAY

DataTypes.ARRAY(t)

DataTypes.ARRAY(t)

The type can be declared using ARRAY<t> where t is the data type of the contained elements.

t ARRAY is a synonym for being closer to the SQL standard. For example, INT ARRAY is equivalent to ARRAY<INT>.

MAP #

Data type of an associative array that maps keys (including NULL) to values (including NULL). A map cannot contain duplicate keys; each key can map to at most one value.

There is no restriction of element types; it is the responsibility of the user to ensure uniqueness.

The map type is an extension to the SQL standard.

Declaration

MAP<kt, vt>

DataTypes.MAP(kt, vt)

DataTypes.MAP(kt, vt)

The type can be declared using MAP<kt, vt> where kt is the data type of the key elements and vt is the data type of the value elements.

MULTISET #

Data type of a multiset (=bag). Unlike a set, it allows for multiple instances for each of its elements with a common subtype. Each unique value (including NULL) is mapped to some multiplicity.

There is no restriction of element types; it is the responsibility of the user to ensure uniqueness.

Declaration

MULTISET<t>
t MULTISET

DataTypes.MULTISET(t)

DataTypes.MULTISET(t)

The type can be declared using MULTISET<t> where t is the data type of the contained elements.

t MULTISET is a synonym for being closer to the SQL standard. For example, INT MULTISET is equivalent to MULTISET<INT>.

ROW #

Data type of a sequence of fields.

A field consists of a field name, field type, and an optional description. The most specific type of a row of a table is a row type. In this case, each column of the row corresponds to the field of the row type that has the same ordinal position as the column.

Compared to the SQL standard, an optional field description simplifies the handling with complex structures.

A row type is similar to the STRUCT type known from other non-standard-compliant frameworks.

Declaration

ROW<n0 t0, n1 t1, ...>
ROW<n0 t0 'd0', n1 t1 'd1', ...>

ROW(n0 t0, n1 t1, ...>
ROW(n0 t0 'd0', n1 t1 'd1', ...)

DataTypes.ROW(DataTypes.FIELD(n0, t0), DataTypes.FIELD(n1, t1), ...)
DataTypes.ROW(DataTypes.FIELD(n0, t0, d0), DataTypes.FIELD(n1, t1, d1), ...)

DataTypes.ROW([DataTypes.FIELD(n0, t0), DataTypes.FIELD(n1, t1), ...])
DataTypes.ROW([DataTypes.FIELD(n0, t0, d0), DataTypes.FIELD(n1, t1, d1), ...])

The type can be declared using ROW<n0 t0 'd0', n1 t1 'd1', ...> where n is the unique name of a field, t is the logical type of a field, d is the description of a field.

ROW(...) is a synonym for being closer to the SQL standard. For example, ROW(myField INT, myOtherField BOOLEAN) is equivalent to ROW<myField INT, myOtherField BOOLEAN>.

User-Defined Data Types #

Declaration

class User {

    // extract fields automatically
    public int age;
    public String name;

    // enrich the extraction with precision information
    public @DataTypeHint("DECIMAL(10, 2)") BigDecimal totalBalance;

    // enrich the extraction with forcing using RAW types
    public @DataTypeHint("RAW") Class<?> modelClass;
}

DataTypes.of(User.class);

case class User(

    // extract fields automatically
    age: Int,
    name: String,

    // enrich the extraction with precision information
    @DataTypeHint("DECIMAL(10, 2)") totalBalance: java.math.BigDecimal,

    // enrich the extraction with forcing using a RAW type
    @DataTypeHint("RAW") modelClass: Class[_]
)

DataTypes.of(classOf[User])

Not supported.

Other Data Types #

BOOLEAN #

Data type of a boolean with a (possibly) three-valued logic of TRUE, FALSE, and UNKNOWN.

Declaration

BOOLEAN

DataTypes.BOOLEAN()

DataTypes.BOOLEAN()

RAW #

Data type of an arbitrary serialized type. This type is a black box within the table ecosystem and is only deserialized at the edges.

The raw type is an extension to the SQL standard.

Declaration

RAW('class', 'snapshot')

DataTypes.RAW(class, serializer)

DataTypes.RAW(class)

Not supported.

NULL #

Data type for representing untyped NULL values.

The null type is an extension to the SQL standard. A null type has no other value except NULL, thus, it can be cast to any nullable type similar to JVM semantics.

This type helps in representing unknown types in API calls that use a NULL literal as well as bridging to formats such as JSON or Avro that define such a type as well.

This type is not very useful in practice and is just mentioned here for completeness.

Declaration

NULL

DataTypes.NULL()

Not supported.

Data Type Extraction #

import org.apache.flink.table.annotation.DataTypeHint;

class User {

    // defines an INT data type with a default conversion class `java.lang.Integer`
    public @DataTypeHint("INT") Object o;

    // defines a TIMESTAMP data type of millisecond precision with an explicit conversion class
    public @DataTypeHint(value = "TIMESTAMP(3)", bridgedTo = java.sql.Timestamp.class) Object o;

    // enrich the extraction with forcing using a RAW type
    public @DataTypeHint("RAW") Class<?> modelClass;

    // defines that all occurrences of java.math.BigDecimal (also in nested fields) will be
    // extracted as DECIMAL(12, 2)
    public @DataTypeHint(defaultDecimalPrecision = 12, defaultDecimalScale = 2) AccountStatement stmt;

    // defines that whenever a type cannot be mapped to a data type, instead of throwing
    // an exception, always treat it as a RAW type
    public @DataTypeHint(allowRawGlobally = HintFlag.TRUE) ComplexModel model;
}

import org.apache.flink.table.annotation.DataTypeHint

class User {

    // defines an INT data type with a default conversion class `java.lang.Integer`
    @DataTypeHint("INT")
    var o: AnyRef

    // defines a TIMESTAMP data type of millisecond precision with an explicit conversion class
    @DataTypeHint(value = "TIMESTAMP(3)", bridgedTo = java.sql.Timestamp.class)
    var o: AnyRef

    // enrich the extraction with forcing using a RAW type
    @DataTypeHint("RAW")
    var modelClass: Class[_]

    // defines that all occurrences of java.math.BigDecimal (also in nested fields) will be
    // extracted as DECIMAL(12, 2)
    @DataTypeHint(defaultDecimalPrecision = 12, defaultDecimalScale = 2)
    var stmt: AccountStatement

    // defines that whenever a type cannot be mapped to a data type, instead of throwing
    // an exception, always treat it as a RAW type
    @DataTypeHint(allowRawGlobally = HintFlag.TRUE)
    var model: ComplexModel
}

Not supported.

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