What Data Type Is a Phone Number in Microsoft Access? A Complete Guide
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2025 7:47 am
When designing databases in Microsoft Access, one of the most common fields you’ll need to create is a phone number field. But an important question arises: what data type is a phone number in Access? Choosing the correct data type is crucial for ensuring proper data entry, storage, and retrieval. This article will explore the best practices for storing phone numbers in Access, explain why certain data types are preferred over others, and provide tips for validation and formatting.
Understanding Microsoft Access Data Types: Text vs Number
Microsoft Access offers several data types, but overseas chinese in australia data the two most relevant to phone numbers are Text and Number. While phone numbers consist of digits, you might think to use the Number data type, which is meant for numeric calculations. However, phone numbers are not numeric values in the mathematical sense; rather, they are identifiers made up of digits, sometimes including special characters like parentheses, plus signs (+), spaces, or hyphens (-).
The Text data type (also called Short Text in newer versions of Access) is generally the best choice for phone numbers because it supports the inclusion of these non-numeric characters and preserves leading zeros, which are common in phone numbers (especially international ones). Choosing Number would strip leading zeros and restrict formatting, leading to inaccurate or incomplete data.
Why Using Number Data Type for Phone Numbers Causes Issues
If you use the Number data type to store phone numbers, several problems can arise:
Loss of leading zeros: For example, a phone number starting with 0123 would be stored as 123, changing the number entirely.
No formatting options: Number fields cannot include parentheses, hyphens, or spaces which help readability.
Limited to digits only: You cannot store extensions, country codes with plus signs, or special dialing codes.
Inappropriate for calculations: Phone numbers should not be used for arithmetic operations, which Access expects with numeric data types.
For these reasons, it’s best to avoid Number data types for phone numbers and use Text instead.
Understanding Microsoft Access Data Types: Text vs Number
Microsoft Access offers several data types, but overseas chinese in australia data the two most relevant to phone numbers are Text and Number. While phone numbers consist of digits, you might think to use the Number data type, which is meant for numeric calculations. However, phone numbers are not numeric values in the mathematical sense; rather, they are identifiers made up of digits, sometimes including special characters like parentheses, plus signs (+), spaces, or hyphens (-).
The Text data type (also called Short Text in newer versions of Access) is generally the best choice for phone numbers because it supports the inclusion of these non-numeric characters and preserves leading zeros, which are common in phone numbers (especially international ones). Choosing Number would strip leading zeros and restrict formatting, leading to inaccurate or incomplete data.
Why Using Number Data Type for Phone Numbers Causes Issues
If you use the Number data type to store phone numbers, several problems can arise:
Loss of leading zeros: For example, a phone number starting with 0123 would be stored as 123, changing the number entirely.
No formatting options: Number fields cannot include parentheses, hyphens, or spaces which help readability.
Limited to digits only: You cannot store extensions, country codes with plus signs, or special dialing codes.
Inappropriate for calculations: Phone numbers should not be used for arithmetic operations, which Access expects with numeric data types.
For these reasons, it’s best to avoid Number data types for phone numbers and use Text instead.