diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml index e8a6233277bbb8d3b16b89d06d51fa3bd9a22831..24b169ba6a35128f9107bfc8883af708bc4138d0 100644 --- a/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml +++ b/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ <!-- -$Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml,v 1.105 2002/10/21 02:12:08 tgl Exp $ +$Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml,v 1.106 2002/10/31 22:18:42 tgl Exp $ --> <chapter id="datatype"> @@ -1276,7 +1276,7 @@ SELECT b, char_length(b) FROM test2; </thead> <tbody> <row> - <entry><type>timestamp [ (<replaceable>p</replaceable>) ] without time zone</type></entry> + <entry><type>timestamp [ (<replaceable>p</replaceable>) ] [ without time zone ]</type></entry> <entry>both date and time</entry> <entry>8 bytes</entry> <entry>4713 BC</entry> @@ -1284,7 +1284,7 @@ SELECT b, char_length(b) FROM test2; <entry>1 microsecond / 14 digits</entry> </row> <row> - <entry><type>timestamp [ (<replaceable>p</replaceable>) ] [ with time zone ]</type></entry> + <entry><type>timestamp [ (<replaceable>p</replaceable>) ] with time zone</type></entry> <entry>both date and time</entry> <entry>8 bytes</entry> <entry>4713 BC</entry> @@ -1293,7 +1293,7 @@ SELECT b, char_length(b) FROM test2; </row> <row> <entry><type>interval [ (<replaceable>p</replaceable>) ]</type></entry> - <entry>for time intervals</entry> + <entry>time intervals</entry> <entry>12 bytes</entry> <entry>-178000000 years</entry> <entry>178000000 years</entry> @@ -1334,16 +1334,22 @@ SELECT b, char_length(b) FROM test2; optional precision value <replaceable>p</replaceable> which specifies the number of fractional digits retained in the seconds field. By default, there is no explicit bound on precision. The - effective limit of precision is determined by the underlying double - precision floating-point number used to store values (in seconds - for <type>interval</type> and - in seconds since 2000-01-01 for <type>timestamp</type>). The - useful range of <replaceable>p</replaceable> is from 0 to about - 6 for <type>timestamp</type>, but may be more for <type>interval</type>. - The system will accept <replaceable>p</replaceable> ranging from - 0 to 13. + allowed range of <replaceable>p</replaceable> is from 0 to 6. </para> + <note> + <para> + When timestamps are stored as double precision floating-point + numbers (currently the default), the effective limit of precision + may be less than 6, since timestamp values are stored as seconds + since 2000-01-01. Microsecond precision is achieved for dates within + a few years of 2000-01-01, but the precision degrades for dates further + away. When timestamps are stored as eight-byte integers (a compile-time + option), microsecond precision is available over the full range of + values. + </para> + </note> + <para> Time zones, and time-zone conventions, are influenced by political decisions, not just earth geometry. Time zones around the