Managing columns

All data types found in CQL may be included when creating a table column. Examples of these data types in CREATE TABLE statements are useful if you choose to use a particular data type.

A counter column is a column that can contain integer values, and whose primitive operations are increment and decrement. Collections are useful for storing a grouping of data within a single column. Sets, lists, and maps are the defined collection data types. Tuples are similar to collections as a data type that allows grouping data within a single column, but are more open-ended in format.

Date and time data types are common, especially for storing time series data. UUIDs are a common data type for uniquely identifying a column value that avoids collision with other values.

A variety of common numerical data types are available.

Static columns allow you to insert a single value that can be included in multiple rows. Geospatial data types are useful for storing information that is geometric in nature, such as mapping information. Blobs can represent a constant hexadecimal number in a column.

User-defined types, or UDTs, are the ultimate in free-form data types, allowing a user to compile an unique grouping of values that will provide specific results upon querying.