Storing data is always done in binary. The context here is the binary representation of the data. Storing numbers as numbers is one variation of this context. Storing of data is always by binary numbers in a computer. The value interpreted is related to what the data storage area is defined to hold. The system recognizes (by the design of circuits) what the actual value is of a particular bit area in memory. Another variation is data that represents characters (Bytes). There are other variations of storage rules that define data as pictures, as videos or music, and as data for particular applications. The system needs to know what the data represents to be able to use the data.
Interpreting Character Codes in ASCII
Numbers Stored as Characters
Dr. Jerome Heath
See also: The Animated Computer
Four - Four Bit Bytes - Arranged as they are in Main Memory - With Details and Controls
^ Computer Memory Design with Control Connections
How does the Computer Memory Work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J7X7aZvMXQ
Memory
Laptop Motherboard Components
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPkEOEd3byU&list=PLSPVHgiIyRrYtI1uopx0hag-Mc2b2_P5j