Re: Null comparisons (was Re: checksum) - Mailing list pgsql-general

From Dean Gibson (DB Administrator)
Subject Re: Null comparisons (was Re: checksum)
Date
Msg-id 5.1.0.14.2.20040927130632.0518ac40@imaps.mailpen.net
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: Null comparisons (was Re: checksum)  (Greg Stark <gsstark@mit.edu>)
Responses Re: Null comparisons (was Re: checksum)  (David Helgason <david@uti.is>)
List pgsql-general
Even simpler:  COALESCE( a = b, a IS NULL AND b IS NULL )

-- Dean

Greg Stark wrote on 2004-09-27 08:17:

>Stephan Szabo <sszabo@megazone.bigpanda.com> writes:
>
> > > On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 20:16:52 +0200, David Helgason <david@uti.is> wrote:
> >
> > > > On a similar note, I've found myself wanting an extended '=' operator
> > > > meaning
> > > >         (a = b or (a is null and b is null))
> >
> > The original does appear to be equivalent to "not(a is distinct from b)",
> > although I'm not sure that's necessarily easier to use than the above.
>
>I often do things like "coalesce(a,0) = coalesce(b,0)".
>(Or whatever value you know won't appear)
>
>Though for pretty small values of "often". It always makes me think twice
>about my data model when I find myself doing this. But there are definitely
>still cases where it's useful and as clean as anything else I could think of.
>
>--
>greg
>
>
>---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
>TIP 9: the planner will ignore your desire to choose an index scan if your
>       joining column's datatypes do not match


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