Re: Q: Suppressing NULLs using Forms 4.5

In article <33985b36.5411671_at_www.sigov.si>   jurij.modic_at_mf.sigov.mail.si (Jurij Modic) writes:

>
> Now, about COUNT(*) queries and NULL values - I think you are wrong
> here. As a matter of fact, all nulls are counted in this sort of
> queries. However, if you do COUNT(column_with_nulls) then only
> non-null values vill be counted.
>

Oops, guess I read too much into what the book was trying to tell me. Too much staring at this screen I guess.

>
> So if COUNT(*) queries were the main reason for your decision to
> define all columns as NOT NULL, then there was no need to do so. The
> very idea to have no NULL column in the database seems very strange to
> me, but it is a matter of opinions. I just find it hard to understand
> that in your application's real life you could treat numeric 0 values
> equaly to unknown values (NULLs). I also doubt you could assign
> default value of ' ' or CHR(0) to date column !?
>

The use of no NULL values in the database was handed down from the database team leader at a time when I knew next to nothing about SQL. Now, after dealing with it for 8 or 10 months in Forms and a whole slew of ON-INSERT and ON-UPDATE triggers, I'm beginning to question whether that was a good call. He deals with changing the contents of our Oracle database into an embedded parameter database system to put in another box. This cannot contain NULLS. The only NULLS we would need is in the supporting systems around the parameter information. These aren't seen as "unknown values" but as blank values (for optional entries).

I see the points that you make about "unknown values". We chose to go a different route and I'm not sure of all the reasons that went into that choice as I came into the project part way through with little knowledge on SQL and Oracle Forms. I probably would have suggested a different direction had I known more.

--Andy
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------
| Andrew G. Tompkins    | #include <disclaimer.std.h> |
| Software Design Eng.  ------------------------------|
| Tektronix, Inc.                                     |
| Phone: (503) 627-5172      fax: (503) 627-5548      |
| email: Andrew.Tompkins_at_tek.com (work)               |
|        andytom_at_teleport.com (home)                  |
| http://www.teleport.com/~andytom/                   |
-------------------------------------------------------