Re: Why are empty VARCHAR2S always NULL?

<ctcgag_at_hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:20020821133838.353$Ug_at_newsreader.com...
> > What
> > representation would you use for unknown.
>
> Null.

The 4 characters 'NULL' or an empty string or what? I may be missing something here (not being a cs major an all) but what do you put in the oracle character datatype - or how do you modify it - to represent null if not an empty string.

>>
>> What you mean is how do I join two unknown values.

>No, what he means is 'how do I join by an empty string?'. Why do you find
>this so hard to believe?

In part because of the examples.

I want to list parts that have not shipped to customers without a customer number.
I want to match parts against suppliers without a supplier number.

Its all a bit 'when did you stop beating your wife?'

--
Niall Litchfield
Oracle DBA
Audit Commission UK
*****************************************
Please include version and platform
and SQL where applicable
It makes life easier and increases the
likelihood of a good answer
******************************************