Precision and scale

The number of digits stored in database columns with a monetaryamount data type is controlled by two settings: precision and scale. Precision is the setting that controls the total number of digits of the value stored. Scale is the setting that controls the number of digits to the right of the decimal symbol. For example, if precision is set to 5 and scale is set to 2, then the maximum value that can be stored for a monetaryamount is 999.99 and the minimum value is -999.99.

Guidewire recommends that you set the scale to the maximum number of digits that you would possibly need in the future. Setting scale to an initially large value makes it easier to add currencies that require more digits than the currencies supported by your initial configuration.

The scale attribute also specifies the default number of digits that are shown in the user interface after the decimal symbol. When multicurrency is enabled, you can provide currency-specific values that override this default.

See also

• The data types configuration file