SQL Server SMALLMONEY Data Type

SQL Server SMALLMONEY stores values from -214,748.3648 through 214,748.3647 with four fractional decimal places in 4 bytes. It represents a numeric amount, not a currency code.

Syntax

The syntax for creating a column of SMALLMONEY type is as follows:

column_name SMALLMONEY

Usage

SMALLMONEY has a smaller range than MONEY, but both use four fractional decimal places. Microsoft warns that calculations with either type can incur truncation-related rounding errors; use DECIMAL with an appropriate precision and scale for currency arithmetic. See Microsoft’s MONEY and SMALLMONEY guidance.

Examples

Here are two examples of using the SMALLMONEY data type.

1. Creating a sales table with a price column for storing the sales unit price.

   CREATE TABLE sales (
       id INT PRIMARY KEY,
       product_name VARCHAR(50),
       price SMALLMONEY
   );
   

2. Inserting data into the sales table and querying the values in the price column.

   INSERT INTO sales (id, product_name, price)
   VALUES (1, 'Product A', 9.99), (2, 'Product B', 19.99);
   
   SELECT price FROM sales;
   

   The result is as follows:

   price
   9.9900
   19.9900

Conclusion

SMALLMONEY stores a smaller range than MONEY but has the same four fractional decimal places. Because Microsoft warns of truncation-related rounding in calculations, use DECIMAL with a suitable precision and scale for currency arithmetic.