Marc, If you designed your database schema, using NOT NULL constraints sensibly, and if you program carefully so that you will never be comparing two unknown values, that go right ahead.
In the SQL standard, if a variable or column is null, then a comparison of that value with an equal sign should always be false. An unknown value cannot be equal to any value, not even to another unknown value. EQNULL is an R:BASE accommodation for people who don't like that part of the SQL standard. Bill On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 9:19 PM, Marc <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I always thought of Zero for integer and currency and EQNULL for > text. > > I can't think of any problem with having EQNULL ON ? > But it is Friday so I may be overlooking something. > > Marc > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Bill Downall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > *To:* RBASE-L Mailing List <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Friday, April 11, 2008 8:02 AM > *Subject:* [RBASE-L] - Re: EQNULL ON or OFF > > Sorry, Marc, you're right. EQNULL is a little more insidious. It means > that an expression like... > > IF myvar = someothervar THEN > > ... will be evaluated as true if both sides of the operator are null. > > Or: "if I don't know this, and I also don't know that, then they must be > the same." > > Bill > > > On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 8:55 PM, Marc <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hi BIll > > > > I thought that was Set Zero On? > > > > Marc > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > *From:* Bill Downall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > *To:* RBASE-L Mailing List <[email protected]> > > *Sent:* Friday, April 11, 2008 7:47 AM > > *Subject:* [RBASE-L] - Re: EQNULL ON or OFF > > > > Marc, > > > > When EQNULL is on, R:BASE doesn't distinguish a null from a zero, so any > > average calculations are screwy. > > > > Bill > > > > On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 8:41 PM, Marc <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > > > After reading the other thread I got nervous about my EQNULL setting. > > > I have it set to ON, so now I am worried. I had a problem sometime > > > back > > > and setting EQNULL ON fixed that problem so I just leave it on. > > > > > > What are the dangers with it ON? > > > > > > thanks > > > Marc > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lawrence Lustig" < > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > To: "RBASE-L Mailing List" <[email protected]> > > > Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 7:21 PM > > > Subject: [RBASE-L] - Re: Testing for field diferences. > > > > > > > > > << > > > > Interesting thought but I refuse to futz with the EQNULL option. > > > > It is not standard SQL and can have unwanted side effects. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > You can do this more or less safely like this: > > > > > > > > SET VAR vSaveEQNull = (CVAL('EQNULL')) > > > > SET EQNULL ON > > > > IF <<Condition Here>> THEN > > > > -- Do Stuff > > > > ENDIF > > > > SET EQNULL &vSaveEQNull > > > > CLEAR VAR vSaveEQNull > > > > > > > > As long as your confident in the IF statement and the nested code, > > > > this will do what you want without endangering the database wide EQNull > > > > setting. > > > > -- > > > > Larr > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
