2. we will never want to do that with the data, so just "strip the type" and store it as a string...
Often experienced 'in the wild' within code that uses double-barrelled abominations: MySQL and Java!
On top of that pile there will be some kind of 'string-to-object' mapper/converter library with a side dish of functions re-implementing most of the search, selection and ordering logic in an OO-kosher way (that the Database (even MySQL) could also do with SQL - if only it knew the meaning of the data and OO-Purity was not enforced)!
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MySQL didn't really use nor enforce data types in 'the early years', leading to much mischief by developers that should have used a better database engine instead of hacking around MySQL flaws and quirks.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
