> > [snip]
> > The same is true for any other value... Now that the columns have a NOT
> > NULL
> > constraint the records that previously contained NULL now hold '0'.
> >
> > x y
> > x 0
> > x z
> > x 0
> >
> > Now, how do you uniquely identify the 2nd and 4th rows?
> > [/snip]
> >
> > The database would have thrown an error when you tried to create row 4.
>
> No. NULL is not a value. It is a lack of value. Kind of a special
> symbol, like infinity in mathematics. You cannot say that
Actually, it's not even the "lack of value".
NULL is a state. A column can have two states: NULL or NON NULL.
Hence:
WHERE mycolumn IS NOT NULL
or
mycolumn IS NULL
Besides a non-null state, it can have many values :-)
With regards,
Martijn Tonies
Database Workbench - developer tool for InterBase, Firebird, MySQL & MS SQL
Server
Upscene Productions
http://www.upscene.com
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