Re: null or not null
}>From ilist@rmy.emory.edu Thu Apr 24 20:01:38 1997 }>Received: from rmy.rmy.emory.edu by hobbes.dbintellect.com via ESMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI.AUTO) }> for <settler@dbintellect.com> id UAA28386; Thu, 24 Apr 1997 20:01:37 -0600 }>Received: (from ilist@localhost) by rmy.rmy.emory.edu (8.7.1/8.7.1) id UAA11011 for informix-list-out; Thu, 24 Apr 1997 20:30:00 -0400 (EDT) }>From: volverine <volverine@mindspring.com> }>Message-Id: <335FF6B0.240D@mindspring.com> }>Subject: null or not null }>Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 20:11:28 -0400 }>Reply-To: volverine@mindspring.com }>Organization: MindSpring Enterprises }>Sender: informix-list-owner@rmy.emory.edu }>To: informix-list@rmy.emory.edu }>X-Informix-List-Id: <news.37092> }> }>Ok guys, I need your help on this. }>I recently had a "fight" with my supervisors ( who never worked as DBA ) }>for "null" and "not null". }>According to them, they want to change all the "null" columns in }>database to "not null" columns and put a "default" on them. }>All they want me to prove is, why can't they do it ?? }>Space is not a problem here. But will the performance will get }>affected by this ? I really need to have some points to fight them }>and surprisingly I am running out of them. Please help !!! }>Thanx in advance. }> One opposing argument centers around numeric columns, that is, INTEGER, SMALLINT, MONEY, or DECIMAL. If you set these to NOT NULL DEFAULT 0, then set operators, such as AVG(PURCH_AMT) will not be correct, since the default zeros will skew the average purchase price down. Also, if you change everything to a default, end users must still understand that when they want to look for "missing" values, they must include the appropriate filter to look for the special default value. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeff Craig | dbINTELLECT Technologies, Inc. Senior Consultant | Golden, CO | (303) 275-6954 ext. 8008 | email: settler@dbintellect.com | fax: (303) 275-2134 -------------------------------------------------------------------