varchar2 vs. char performance
Hi, quick question. I'm running some dimension / fact loads based off of demographic data - i.e. lots of short, 1 to 5 character code fields. The source system has these all defined as varchar2 (even 1 byte yes/no fields), but I'm wondering if I could see a performance improvement by converting them all to char fields (note: long descriptions would be left as varchar2).
As I understand it, varchar2 fields maintain a pointer to where the data is actually stored. Meaning any time you need to see the data, the database has to jump to where the text is stored, bring it back, etc. Seems that there must be some performance hit here - just not sure if it's worth bothering with?
Thanks!
Scott