Data truncation

Data truncation occurs when data or a data stream (such as a file) is stored in a location too short to hold its entire length. Data truncation may occur automatically, such as when a long string is written to a smaller buffer, or deliberately, when only a portion of the data is wanted.

Depending on what type of data validation a program or operating system has, the data may be truncated silently (i.e., without informing the user), or the user may be given an error message.

See also

• Fixed-point arithmetic -> Precision loss and overflow
• Data loss