Error : Arithmetic overflow error converting numeric to data type varchar

Question

Error : Arithmetic overflow error converting numeric to data type varchar.

Getting error at this line why and what should be changed?

CONVERT(VARCHAR(8),CONVERT(DECIMAL(8,4),((CurrentLoans.Price - PreviousLoans.Price) / PreviousLoans.Price) * 100)) 

Answer 1

Here's at least one issue:

CONVERT(VARCHAR(8),CONVERT(DECIMAL(8,4))

The Decimal(8,4) indicates 8 numeric digits, 4 to the right of the decimal. This does NOT account for the actual decimal character, so you potentially have a value like:

1234.5678

which is a valid Decimal(8,4) but won't fit in a varchar(8) .

Answer 2

I know this is an old post but I just wanted to say thanks. I was having this exact problem and what was most annoying was that it gave the error when selecting from a VIEW , but did not give the error when I used the select statement from the VIEW and pasted it and inserted it into a TEMP TABLE!!

example:

select * from dvView --worked
select * from dvView where product = '5' --Broke!
--BUT
select * from #Temp_table_dvView --worked!
select * from #Temp_table_dvView where product = '5' --worked!

in the end, I had to changed a part in the view from

select cast(productNumber as nvarchar(1), etc...

to

select cast(productNumber as nvarchar(2), etc...

and it worked.

but weird that the error I got was

Arithmetic overflow error converting numeric to data type varchar.

instead of the one that reads

Data would be truncated

or whatever...

food for thought.