Dictionary entry data types
You can only change a dictionary entry's data type when the change does not result in data loss. Use the following guidelines to change a dictionary entry's data type.
| Condition | Restrictions |
|---|---|
| The field is empty in all table records. | None. You can convert an empty field from any data type to another without restriction. |
| The table contains existing data for the field. | You can only convert between logical data types that map to the same physical data type in the database. For example, you can convert a glide duration to a glide datetime since both logical data types map to the DATETIME physical data type in the database. |
| The field is a string field you are converting to another type of string field. | You can change between string-based data types as long as length changes do not cause any data loss from truncation. For example, you can change from a MEDIUM database type to a VARCHAR(100) database type if none of the existing data is greater than 100. |
| The field is a string field you are converting to a globally unique ID (GUID). | You can only convert a string field to a GUID if all of the exiting data in the field are already Sys ID values. |
| The field is a GUID field you are converting to a string field. | None. You can convert a GUID field to a string field without restriction. |