The TDS format supports two categories of simple data types: textual and non-textual.
The Physical Type of an element determines whether it is categorized as textual or non-textual.
The following table describes how the length of data is determined for each Physical Type.
Physical Type | Determination of Length |
---|---|
Text TLOG Specific |
The Data Element Separation of the parent complex type or group determines how the length of the data is determined. |
External Decimal Integer Packed Decimal Float Time Seconds Time Milliseconds |
Uses the value of the Length property of the element. If Physical Type is Time Seconds, the Length property is set to 4. If Physical Type is Time Milliseconds, the Length property is set to 8. In neither case can this value be changed. |
Length Encoded String 1 Length Encoded String 2 |
Uses the encoded length value in the data. |
Null Terminated String |
Uses the null terminator at the end of the data. |
Binary |
Uses the value of the Length Reference or Length property of the element. |