# Specify length / decimal places in a migration?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/specify-length-decimal-places-in-a-migration/148261>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [September 11, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/specify-length-decimal-places-in-a-migration/148261 "2008-09-11T01:36:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wpwood)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/specify-length-decimal-places-in-a-migration/148261/1 "2008-09-11T01:36:22Z")

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Is it possible to specify the length and number of decimal places for a  
float in a migration? I using MySQL and can do it through the GUI  
client, but can’t Google up anything on doing it in a migration.

Thanks,  
Bill

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wpwood)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 4:13am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/specify-length-decimal-places-in-a-migration/148261/2 "2008-09-11T04:13:43Z")

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You should use decimal instead of float.

t.column :name, :decimal, :precision =\> 10, :scale =\> 2

This will give you numbers as 00000000.00, for example (10 digits, 2  
digits right of decimal point).

Regards,  
Jorge Corona.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wpwood](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wpwood)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/specify-length-decimal-places-in-a-migration/148261/3 "2008-09-11T15:10:32Z")

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Hi Jorge,

Pozole wrote:

> You should use decimal instead of float.
> 
> t.column :name, :decimal, :precision =\> 10, :scale =\> 2

Perfect. Thanks much!

Best regards,  
Bill