Re: NULLs
From: Bob Badour <bbadour_at_pei.sympatico.ca>
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:49:41 -0400
Message-ID: <47783cac$0$19877$9a566e8b_at_news.aliant.net>
>
> what
>
>
> some
>
> for
> told
> a
>
> A quibble.
>
> I would say that it indicates that there is space for a value here, but no
> value has been place in the space.
>
> As for the rest of it, we've had this discussion in c.d.t. before, at
> least a dozen times.
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:49:41 -0400
Message-ID: <47783cac$0$19877$9a566e8b_at_news.aliant.net>
David Cressey wrote:
> "Brian Selzer" <brian_at_selzer-software.com> wrote in message
> news:JeSdj.2231$6%.221_at_nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com...
>
>>"stevedtrm" <stevedtrm_at_hotmail.com> wrote in message >>news:a3716365-7bc4-4a75-ab58-ee7ac957c299_at_n20g2000hsh.googlegroups.com... >> >>>>>If everyone is clear NULLS shouldn't be used, why the debate as to
>
> what
>
>>>>>to do about them ? >>>> >>>>Because SQL allows NULL and even promotes the idea that NULL solves
>
> some
>
>>>>problem instead of introducing many. >>> >>>So everyone is agreed that NULLs shouldn't appear anywhere, and its >>>just a matter of time before NULLS become a legacy problem and a >>>relational language supercedes SQL? >> >>No, Steve, not everyone is agreed.
That's right, Steve. Beware of idiots like Selzer. Only the sensible, intelligent people who have given the concept its due consideration agree. There will always be others who for one reason or another cannot or will not belong to that group.
>>>Are the two solutions I suggested before the widely accepted as >>>resolutions to the two problems NULLs were introduced to eradicate? >>> >>>>Missing information? Then surely there should just be no tuple? >>> >>A row may contain a lot more information that would otherwise be useful. >>Would you tell a potential customer that you won't serve them because you >>don't know everything about them? I think not! Haven't you been asked
> for
>>your e-mail address at a retailer? What would you think if the cashier
> told
>>you to get lost for refusing to supply it? >> >> >>>>To indicate that there can be no value? Why not a seperate table with >>>>a boolean value in the non-key column? >> >>In my opinion, null should only ever be used to indicate "There should be
> a
>>value here, but it hasn't been supplied."
>
> A quibble.
>
> I would say that it indicates that there is space for a value here, but no
> value has been place in the space.
>
> As for the rest of it, we've had this discussion in c.d.t. before, at
> least a dozen times.
Only a dozen? You must be a relative newcomer. It's so hard to keep track sometimes. Received on Mon Dec 31 2007 - 01:49:41 CET