Which data type is used to store strings with a specified maximum length?

• A. VARCHAR(100)
• B. TEXT
• C. CHAR(100)
• D. STRING(100)

Answer: (A)

In relational databases, strings with a defined maximum length are stored using VARCHAR(n). VARCHAR stands for variable-length character data, so it stores up to n characters but uses only as much space as needed for the actual content. This matches the idea of having a specified maximum length. For fixed-length strings, you’d use CHAR(n), which pads shorter values to the full length. TEXT is for long, unrestricted text, and STRING(n) isn’t a standard SQL data type in most systems. So the best choice for a string with a defined maximum length is VARCHAR(100).