http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/ Software, the Internet and you. Sun, 27 Jul 2008 09:40:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-69209 executive orc house / I Hate It When You Make Me Do This Thu, 08 May 2008 03:08:59 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-69209 [...] the semantic distinction between a value and not a value. Add the fact that the empty string  doesn’t exist in Larry’s World to the unbelievably idiotic lack of a BOOLEAN column type and you begin to [...] [...] the semantic distinction between a value and not a value. Add the fact that the empty string  doesn’t exist in Larry’s World to the unbelievably idiotic lack of a BOOLEAN column type and you begin to [...]

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-47379 (another) John Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:03:06 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-47379 @Michael: if you don't want to test for both '' and null, and your application treats both as semantically the same, just declare the field 'not null' @Michael: if you don’t want to test for both ” and null, and your application treats both as semantically the same, just declare the field ‘not null’

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-46572 Todd Wed, 20 Feb 2008 16:17:46 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-46572 bachew - I agree. Also, you came back 20 days later to fix that. Awesome. bachew - I agree.
Also, you came back 20 days later to fix that. Awesome.

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-44154 bachew Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:10:13 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-44154 Oops, correction: A string variable that can't be set empty is like a number variable that can't be set zero. Oops, correction:
A string variable that can’t be set empty is like a number variable that can’t be set zero.

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-43872 John Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:54:34 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-43872 I agree, ORACLE storing empty strings as NULL was a horrible design blunder. In a relational database, NULL is used to represent datum whose value is "unknown". If I insert an empty string into a database field, I have specified a value for that field -- a zero-length string. If I fetch that string from the database, the only correct result is an empty string. I agree, ORACLE storing empty strings as NULL was a horrible design blunder. In a relational database, NULL is used to represent datum whose value is “unknown”. If I insert an empty string into a database field, I have specified a value for that field — a zero-length string. If I fetch that string from the database, the only correct result is an empty string.

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-43118 bachew Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:51:09 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-43118 Programming without null is like Mathematics without zero. Programming without null is like Mathematics without zero.

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-40357 Michael Mon, 05 Nov 2007 20:25:36 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-40357 I personally like the fact that Oracle treats empty strings as null. Its a real pain having to test if something is null OR an empty string to find out if there is a usuable value there or not. And if I want to select rows where certain fields have blank values, I know that I will get everything I need by testing if null. I personally like the fact that Oracle treats empty strings as null. Its a real pain having to test if something is null OR an empty string to find out if there is a usuable value there or not. And if I want to select rows where certain fields have blank values, I know that I will get everything I need by testing if null.

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-39635 Bennett Tue, 23 Oct 2007 07:16:42 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-39635 I am not at all an Oracle expert, but as a developer I have found Oracle databases to be annoying to work with. I think their selling point is the boring enterprise stuff like reliability, scalability, etc. I am not at all an Oracle expert, but as a developer I have found Oracle databases to be annoying to work with. I think their selling point is the boring enterprise stuff like reliability, scalability, etc.

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-39607 jianwu_chen Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:31:23 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-39607 That really should be considered as a Oracle design bug. Oracle really is not that good in my opinion. That really should be considered as a Oracle design bug. Oracle really is not that good in my opinion.

]]> http://www.thunderguy.com/semicolon/2003/04/26/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-38166 Aaron Johnson » Blog Archive » Fun with Supporting Multiple Databases Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:02:34 +0000 http://www.thunderguy.com/plusplus/20050422/oracle-empty-string-null/#comment-38166 [...] McElwee blogged about this feature in more detail on his blog, but the jist of this nugget of goodness is that if you attempt to [...] [...] McElwee blogged about this feature in more detail on his blog, but the jist of this nugget of goodness is that if you attempt to [...]

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