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SQLite training in Houston TX on 2019-11-05 (details)
Part of the 2019 Tcl Conference

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Overview
Comment:Update the NULL-handling document to show current behavior of OCELOT. (CVS 1046)
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SHA1: 1d4c92c7325f69ee84b901a2de74a306ace134b6
User & Date: drh 2003-07-07 00:10:40
Context
2003-07-07
10:47
A proported fix for ticket #374. (CVS 1047) check-in: a49ee69e user: drh tags: trunk
00:10
Update the NULL-handling document to show current behavior of OCELOT. (CVS 1046) check-in: 1d4c92c7 user: drh tags: trunk
2003-07-06
17:22
Correctly handle comparing an INTEGER PRIMARY KEY against a floating point number. Ticket #377. (CVS 1045) check-in: 982aa335 user: drh tags: trunk
Changes
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Changes to www/nulls.tcl. 

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#
# Run this script to generated a nulls.html output file
#
set rcsid {$Id: nulls.tcl,v 1.2 2003/07/01 01:16:30 drh Exp $}

puts {<html>
<head>
<title>NULL Handling In SQLite Versus Other Database Engines</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="white">
<h1 align="center">
................................................................................
SQLite was originally coded in such a way that the answer to
all questions in the chart below would be "Yes".  But the
expriments run on other SQL engines showed that none of them
worked this way.  So SQLite was modified to work the same as
Oracle, PostgreSQL, and DB2.  This involved making NULLs
indistinct for the purposes of the SELECT DISTINCT statement and
for the UNION operator in a SELECT.  NULLs are still distinct
in a UNIQUE index.  This seems somewhat arbitrary, but the desire
to be compatible with other engines outweighted that objection.
</p>

<p>
It is possible to make SQLite treat NULLs as distinct for the
purposes of the SELECT DISTINCT and UNION.  To do so, one should
change the value of the NULL_ALWAYS_DISTINCT #define in the
................................................................................
<tt>sqliteInt.h</tt> source file and recompile.
</p>

<p>
The following table shows the results of the NULL handling experiments.
</p>

<table border=1 cellpadding=5 width="100%">
<tr><th>&nbsp&nbsp;</th>
<th>SQLite</th>
<th>PostgreSQL</th>
<th>Oracle</th>
<th>Informix</th>
<th>DB2</th>
<th>MS-SQL</th>

</tr>

<tr><td>Adding anything to null gives null</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>

</tr>
<tr><td>Multiplying null by zero gives null</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>

</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in a UNIQUE index</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>

</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in SELECT DISTINCT</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
</tr>
................................................................................
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in a UNION</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>

</tr>
<tr><td>"CASE WHEN null THEN 1 ELSE 0 END" is 0?</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>

</tr>
<tr><td>"null OR true" is true</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
................................................................................
<tr><td>"not (null AND false)" is true</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>

</tr>
</table>

<table border=1 cellpadding=5 width="100%">
<tr><th>&nbsp&nbsp;</th>
<th>MySQL</th>
<th>OCELOT</th>
<th>Firebird</th>
<th>SQL Anywhere</th>
<th>Borland Interbase</th>
</tr>

<tr><td>Adding anything to null gives null</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>Multiplying null by zero gives null</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in a UNIQUE index</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 4)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 4)</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in SELECT DISTINCT</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 1)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in a UNION</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 3)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 1)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>"CASE WHEN null THEN 1 ELSE 0 END" is 0?</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 2)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 5)</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>"null OR true" is true</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>"not (null AND false)" is true</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
</table>





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#
# Run this script to generated a nulls.html output file
#
set rcsid {$Id: nulls.tcl,v 1.3 2003/07/07 00:10:40 drh Exp $}

puts {<html>
<head>
<title>NULL Handling In SQLite Versus Other Database Engines</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="white">
<h1 align="center">
................................................................................
SQLite was originally coded in such a way that the answer to
all questions in the chart below would be "Yes".  But the
expriments run on other SQL engines showed that none of them
worked this way.  So SQLite was modified to work the same as
Oracle, PostgreSQL, and DB2.  This involved making NULLs
indistinct for the purposes of the SELECT DISTINCT statement and
for the UNION operator in a SELECT.  NULLs are still distinct
in a UNIQUE column.  This seems somewhat arbitrary, but the desire
to be compatible with other engines outweighted that objection.
</p>

<p>
It is possible to make SQLite treat NULLs as distinct for the
purposes of the SELECT DISTINCT and UNION.  To do so, one should
change the value of the NULL_ALWAYS_DISTINCT #define in the
................................................................................
<tt>sqliteInt.h</tt> source file and recompile.
</p>

<p>
The following table shows the results of the NULL handling experiments.
</p>

<table border=1 cellpadding=3 width="100%">
<tr><th>&nbsp&nbsp;</th>
<th>SQLite</th>
<th>PostgreSQL</th>
<th>Oracle</th>
<th>Informix</th>
<th>DB2</th>
<th>MS-SQL</th>
<th>OCELOT</th>
</tr>

<tr><td>Adding anything to null gives null</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>Multiplying null by zero gives null</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in a UNIQUE column</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in SELECT DISTINCT</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
</tr>
................................................................................
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in a UNION</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>"CASE WHEN null THEN 1 ELSE 0 END" is 0?</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>"null OR true" is true</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
................................................................................
<tr><td>"not (null AND false)" is true</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
</table>

<table border=1 cellpadding=3 width="100%">
<tr><th>&nbsp&nbsp;</th>
<th>MySQL</th>

<th>Firebird</th>
<th>SQL Anywhere</th>
<th>Borland Interbase</th>
</tr>

<tr><td>Adding anything to null gives null</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>Multiplying null by zero gives null</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>

</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in a UNIQUE column</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 4)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 4)</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in SELECT DISTINCT</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 1)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>nulls are distinct in a UNION</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 3)</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 1)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>"CASE WHEN null THEN 1 ELSE 0 END" is 0?</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 2)</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#aaaad2">(Note 5)</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>"null OR true" is true</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr><td>"not (null AND false)" is true</td>

<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#c7a9a9">No</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
<td valign="center" align="center" bgcolor="#a9c7a9">Yes</td>
</tr>
</table>

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