postgresql - How to store dates with different levels of precision in postgres? -

i storing data on journal papers pubmed in postgres, , want store publication date of paper. however, date just year (see pubdate field), month , year, , day, month , year.

what's sensible way store data in database?

if use postgres date field, need specify day , month well, i'll need invent them in cases, , don't idea of losing information date's precision.

for purposes think need year, don't know true possible future purposes.

perhaps should have text fields day, month , year, , can convert them date field in future if need them?

i store date , store precision well.

for example:

create type date_prec enum ('day', 'month', 'year');  create table pub (    pub_id integer primary key,    pub_date date not null,    pub_date_prec date_prec not null ); 

then can query table this:

select pub_id, date_trunc(pub_date_prec::text, pub_date)::date pub; 

to ignore “random” day , month values in pub_date.