How Does Oracle 23c Finally Address the Lack of a Boolean Datatype?

Oracle Database Boolean Support: A Long-Awaited Feature

Unlike databases like Microsoft SQL Server, which offer a dedicated BIT datatype for Boolean values, Oracle databases have historically lacked a native Boolean type. Before Oracle 23c, developers relied on less-than-ideal workarounds, such as using CHAR(1) with 'Y'/'N' or NUMBER(1) with 0/1. This led to inconsistencies and potential problems related to language dependencies.

Oracle 23c: Introducing the Boolean Datatype

Oracle 23c (released in 2023) finally addresses this deficiency by introducing a dedicated BOOLEAN datatype. This provides a consistent and efficient method for storing and manipulating true/false values. Here's how it works:

SELECT TRUE;
-- Output: TRUE

CREATE TABLE test1 (a BOOLEAN);
-- Table created

INSERT INTO test1 VALUES (TRUE), (FALSE), (TO_BOOLEAN(0)), (TO_BOOLEAN('y'));
-- 4 rows inserted

A Noteworthy Exception

Despite this significant improvement, one notable difference remains: Unlike many other database systems, Oracle does not interpret an empty string as FALSE. This is a point of divergence to keep in mind when working with Boolean data in Oracle 23c.

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