> NULL means "unknown" while '' means empty.

I understand that part. This is a raw data feed from a third party
where NULL is never sent, so an empty field from them does double duty.

In this case I really need to know if there is a difference in the
storage requirements.

-----Original Message-----
From: firebird-support@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:firebird-support@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Martijn Tonies
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 12:54 PM
To: firebird-support@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [firebird-support] Varchar - NULL vs blank

Rick,

> Is there any space savings when storing a VARCHAR as NULL vs. blank?
> Our raw data feed is going to double in the next month, and I'm
> looking for any savings I can get.

NULL is different from ''. NULL means "unknown" while '' means empty.

Keep the two apart, don't worry about savings (if any).

Martijn Tonies
Database Workbench - tool for InterBase, Firebird, MySQL, NexusDB,
Oracle & MS SQL Server Upscene Productions http://www.upscene.com My
thoughts:
http://blog.upscene.com/martijn/
Database development questions? Check the forum!
http://www.databasedevelopmentforum.com



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