Nulls, dates, database independence - was Useful Books / C J Date

Isn't it how the positive marketing phrase
    "database independent"
turns into the practical implementation:
    "works badly everywhere"


Using character strings for dates is one way
of helping Oracle's cost based optimisation to
go wrong - and I would expect it to be a generic
problem

Using daft values instead of nulls is another way
of helping Oracle's cost based optimisation to
go wrong - and I would expect it to be a generic
problem

Regards

Jonathan Lewis

http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk

http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk/faq/ind_faq.html
The Co-operative Oracle Users' FAQ

http://www.jlcomp.demon.co.uk/seminar.html
Optimising Oracle Seminar - schedule updated May 1st


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <jo_holvoet@xxxxxxxx>
To: <oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2004 8:27 AM
Subject: RE: Useful Oracle books - C.J. Date theory vs. practicality


: SAP doesn't use nulls. For char fields they typically use a single space,
: for dates (which they store in chars) they use '00000000', etc.etc.
: And yes, it is every bit as ugly and horrendous as you describe ... I
: assume in their case it is partly a legacy issue and partly a database
: independence issue ?
:
: mvg/regards
:
: Jo
:


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