What's the Most Efficient Way to Store User Gender in a Database?

Storing User Gender in Database with Optimal Performance

When storing a user's gender in a database, it is crucial to minimize the storage size and performance impact. This question explores three potential options:

• Int: Aligned with an enum in code, using numeric values (e.g., 1 for male).
• char(1): Storing a single character (e.g., 'm' for male).
• Bit (boolean): Using a boolean value (e.g., '1' for male).

While the answer provided suggests using single characters (e.g., 'm' or 'f') due to their compact size, it overlooks the established ISO standard for storing sex in databases: ISO 5218.

According to this standard, the database column should be named "Sex" and the recommended data type is tinyint (a one-byte integer). To enforce data integrity, you can use a check constraint or a lookup table.

tinyint vs. Boolean

Despite the claim that chars are smaller than booleans, this is not the case in Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Both data types occupy one byte of storage. Therefore, using tinyint (with a proper check constraint) is the most efficient and standards-compliant option for storing user gender in a database.

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