data-type-precedence-transact-sql.md

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Data type precedence (Transact-SQL)	Explains data type precedence for Transact-SQL	MikeRayMSFT	mikeray	07/23/2017	sql	t-sql	reference	precedence [SQL Server] data types [SQL Server], converting data types [SQL Server], precedence converting data types [SQL Server], precedence precedence [SQL Server], data types	TSQL	= azuresqldb-current || = azuresqldb-mi-current || >= sql-server-2016 || >= sql-server-linux-2017 || = azuresqledge-current || =azure-sqldw-latest ||=fabric

Data type precedence (Transact-SQL)

[!INCLUDE sql-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw-fabricse-fabricdw]

When an operator combines expressions of different data types, the data type with the lower precedence is first converted to the data type with the higher precedence. If the conversion isn't a supported implicit conversion, an error is returned. For an operator combining operand expressions having the same data type, the result of the operation has that data type.

[!INCLUDEssNoVersion] uses the following precedence order for data types:

1. user-defined data types (highest)
2. sql_variant
3. xml
4. datetimeoffset
5. datetime2
6. datetime
7. smalldatetime
8. date
9. time
10. float
11. real
12. decimal
13. money
14. smallmoney
15. bigint
16. int
17. smallint
18. tinyint
19. bit
20. ntext
21. text
22. image
23. timestamp
24. uniqueidentifier
25. nvarchar (including nvarchar(max) )
26. nchar
27. varchar (including varchar(max) )
28. char
29. varbinary (including varbinary(max) )
30. binary (lowest)

See also

Data types (Transact-SQL)
Expressions (Transact-SQL)
CAST and CONVERT (Transact-SQL)