Programming: BLOB (Definitions)

"A type of data column containing binary data such as graphics, sound, or compiled code. This is a general term for text or image data type. BLOBs are not stored in the table rows themselves, but in separate pages referenced by a pointer in the row." (Microsoft Corporation, "SQL Server 7.0 System Administration Training Kit", 1999)

"BLOB is a data type for fields containing large binary data such as images." (S. Sumathi & S. Esakkirajan, "Fundamentals of Relational Database Management Systems", 2007)

"A binary large object. Large value data types [varchar(max), nvarchar(max), and varbinary(max)] are stored as BLOBs. Within SQL Server 2005, BLOBs can be as large as 2GB." (Darril Gibson, "MCITP SQL Server 2005 Database Developer All-in-One Exam Guide", 2008)

"A data type that can hold large objects of arbitrary content such as video files, audio files, images, and so forth. Because the data can be any arbitrary chunk of binary data, the database does not understand its contents so you cannot search in these fields." (Rod Stephens, "Beginning Database Design Solutions", 2008)

"Binary large object (BLOB) data is data that is stored using the varbinary(max) data type. A BLOB column or variable can hold up to 2.1 GB of data, as opposed to a regular non-LOB varbinary or binary column or variable, which can max out at 8,000 bytes of data." (Michael Coles & Rodney Landrum, , "Expert SQL Server 2008 Encryption", 2008)

"Very large binary representation of multimedia objects that can be stored and used in some enhanced relational databases." (Paulraj Ponniah, "Data Warehousing Fundamentals for IT Professionals", 2010)

"A discrete packet of binary data that has an exceptionally large size, such as pictures or audio tracks stored as digital data, or any variable or table column large enough to hold such values. The designation 'binary large object' typically refers to a packet of data that is stored in a database and is treated as a sequence of uninterpreted bytes." (Microsoft, "SQL Server 2012 Glossary", 2012)

"A large assemblage of binary data (e.g., images, movies, multimedia files, even collections of executable binary code) that are associated with a common group identifier and that can, in theory, be moved (from computer to computer) or searched as a singled data object. Traditional databases do not easily handle BLOBs." (Jules H Berman, "Principles of Big Data: Preparing, Sharing, and Analyzing Complex Information", 2013)

"A blob is any resource whose internal structure is functionally opaque for the purpose at hand." (Robert J Glushko, "The Discipline of Organizing: Professional Edition" 4th Ed., 2016)