title: What MySQL datatype would store this Java BigInteger?
body: <p>I'm using Java 6, Hibernate 4.1.0.Final, and Spring 3.1.1.RELEASE.  I have a String (maximum of 32 characters) that I wish to convert to a number and then back again to a String.  I want to know what MySQL (v 5.5) data type I should use to store the number (which I think is a BigInteger) and I would also like to know if there's a better way to do the conversion.  Right now, I'm doing</p>
  
  <pre><code>// Convert to integer
  final BigInteger bigInt = new BigInteger(myString.getBytes());
  
  // Convert back to a string
  final String oldString = new String(bigInt.toByteArray());
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The Hibernate mapping on the field in question is</p>
  
  <pre><code>@Column(name = "ORDER_ID")
  private BigInteger orderId;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Thanks for your help, - </p>