Fixed length means having a set length that never varies. In database systems, a field can have a fixed or a variable length. A variable-length field is one whose length can be different in each record, depending on what data is stored in the field.
The terms fixed length and variable length can also refer to the entire record. A fixed-length record is one in which every field has a fixed length. A variable-length record has at least one variable-length field.
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