Re: Nulls get converted to 0 problem

Oracle *incorrectly* interprets blank (empty) strings as NULL. They are NOT
the same. A string of zero characters is a string nonetheless. A NULL is
"the absence of value", which equals nothing (theoretically not even another
NULL).

Terry Fielder
Manager Software Development and Deployment
Great Gulf Homes / Ashton Woods Homes
terry(at)greatgulfhomes(dot)com
Fax: (416) 441-9085

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pgsql-general-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org
> [mailto:pgsql-general-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org]On Behalf Of Vincent Hikida
> Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 3:27 PM
> To: scott.marlowe; Avi Schwartz
> Cc: pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org
> Subject: Re: [GENERAL] Nulls get converted to 0 problem
>
>
> > FYI, "" does NOT equal NULL does not equal 0.
>
>
> Interesting, I noticed that a few days ago. I noticed that in
> pg sql, if I
> used RTRIM on a column with all blanks. the RTRIM'ed result
> is not null. In
> Oracle I think it would be a null. That is in Oracle "" and NULL are
> equivalent.
>
> Vincent Hikida,
> Member of Technical Staff - Urbana Software, Inc.
> "A Personalized Learning Experience"
>
> www.UrbanaSoft.com
>
>
>
> ---------------------------(end of
> broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 1: subscribe and unsubscribe commands go to
> majordomo(at)postgresql(dot)org
>