Hive 0.13 supports the CHAR data type, which greatly simplifies
the process of migrating data from other databases. Hive ignores trailing whitespace
characters for the CHAR data type. However, there is no consensus among database vendors on
the handling of trailing white spaces. Users performing data migration to Hive are encouraged
to consult the following table before performing the migration to avoid unexpected behavior
with values for CHAR, VARCHAR, and STRING data types.
The following table describes how several databases treat trailing white spaces for the CHAR, VARCHAR, and STRING data types:
Table 2.5. Trailing Whitespace Characters on Various Databases
| Data Type | Hive | Oracle | SQL Server | MySQL | Teradata |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CHAR | Ignore | Ignore | Ignore | Ignore | Ignore |
VARCHAR | Compare | Compare | Configurable | Ignore | Ignore |
STRING | Compare | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
