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7. null in sql

thuantt0101 edited this page Nov 30, 2019 · 1 revision

could we compare null to a value in sql

  • In a Boolean expression the “=” sign is used to check for equality of 2 values. So, Mathematically the Boolean expression X = Y will check whether the value of X is EQUAL to the value of Y or not.

  • Hence, the Boolean expression “A = NULL” (where A is some attribute) will check whether the value of A is EQUAL to NULL or not. But NULL actually means NO VALUE. And we can not compare some value with NO VALUE. Hence, the Boolean expression “A = NULL” will always result into NULL (whether A is NULL or not).

  • Hence, to check if the attribute A is having some value or not, the appropriate Boolean expression will be “A IS NULL”, to check if A doesn’t have any value, OR “A IS NOT NULL”, to check if A has some value.

  • Hope this answers your question.