special marker and keyword in SQL indicating that something has no value
Null (SQL) - Wikipedia
NULL is a special marker used to indicate that a data value does not exist in the database. Introduced by the creator of the relational database model, E. F. Codd, SQL null … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Null (SQL)
Notation ω
Factsheet
Null (SQL)
Notation ω
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W3Schools
w3schools.com › sql › sql_null_values.asp
SQL NULL Values - IS NULL and IS NOT NULL
ADD ADD CONSTRAINT ALL ALTER ALTER COLUMN ALTER TABLE ALTER VIEW AND ANY AS ASC BACKUP DATABASE BETWEEN CASE CHECK COLUMN CONSTRAINT CREATE CREATE DATABASE CREATE INDEX CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW CREATE TABLE CREATE PROCEDURE CREATE UNIQUE INDEX CREATE VIEW DATABASE DEFAULT DELETE DESC DISTINCT DROP DROP COLUMN DROP CONSTRAINT DROP DATABASE DROP DEFAULT DROP INDEX DROP TABLE DROP VIEW EXEC EXISTS FOREIGN KEY FROM FULL OUTER JOIN GROUP BY HAVING IN INDEX INNER JOIN INSERT INTO INSERT INTO SELECT IS NULL IS NOT NULL JOIN LEFT JOIN LIKE LIMIT NOT NOT NULL OR ORDER BY OUTER JOIN PRIMARY KEY PROCEDURE RIGHT JOIN ROWNUM SELECT SELECT DISTINCT SELECT INTO SELECT TOP SET TABLE TOP TRUNCATE TABLE UNION UNION ALL UNIQUE UPDATE VALUES VIEW WHERE MySQL Functions
Discussions

What are pros and cons of using NULLS vs NOTNULLs in database?
Pros of using NULL: When your column can be NULL, NULL is a perfect fit. Pros of using NOTNULL: When your column cannot be NULL, NOTNULL is a perfect fit. Cons of using NULL: When your column cannot be NULL, NOTNULL would be a better fit. Cons of using NOTNULL: When your column can be NULL, NULL would be a better fit. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/SQL
11
6
March 15, 2022
When are nulls "safe"?
I'm not sure I understand how NULL values would interfere with normalizing your data layout. If you have some column that is sometimes used, but not always, then you should allow NULLs. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Database
8
4
January 26, 2011
Need some knowledge on NULL and NOT NULL
a null is used for multiple purposes -- for example, not known, not applicable, etc. theoreticians take great joy in debating which uses are valid, and whether they can be substituted by some non-null placeholder suffice to say, a null is used when you don't know what value should go there if you don't want that situation to arise, just make the column NOT NULL and you'll never be able to not insert an actual value More on reddit.com
🌐 r/SQL
33
14
December 22, 2021
Why NULL is special

SQL 101

I've always found the concept of NULL very intuitive, it just makes sense and it is functionality I would be desperately wanting if it wasn't there.

And of course NULL isn't a defined value, otherwise if you have a UNIQUE field that IS NULL then you'd only be able to have a single entry that is NULL - that would be fail.

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🌐 r/programming
31
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January 31, 2009
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › sql › sql-null-values
NULL values in SQL - GeeksforGeeks
January 5, 2026 - CREATE TABLE Employee ( Fname VARCHAR(50), Lname VARCHAR(50), SSN VARCHAR(11), Phoneno VARCHAR(15), Salary FLOAT ); INSERT INTO Employee (Fname, Lname, SSN, Phoneno, Salary) VALUES ('Shubham', 'Thakur', '123-45-6789', '9876543210', 50000.00), ('Aman', 'Chopra', '234-56-7890', NULL, 45000.00), ('Aditya', 'Arpan', NULL, '8765432109', 55000.00), ('Naveen', 'Patnaik', '345-67-8901', NULL, NULL), ('Nishant', 'Jain', '456-78-9012', '7654321098', 60000.00); Select * FROM Employee; ... In this query, it retrieves the Fname and Lname of employees whose SSN is NULL.
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Tutorialspoint
tutorialspoint.com › sql › sql-null-values.htm
SQL - NULL Values
INSERT INTO CUSTOMERS VALUES (1, 'Ramesh', 32, 'Ahmedabad', 2000.00), (2, 'Khilan', 25, 'Delhi', 1500.00), (3, 'Kaushik', 23, 'Kota', 2000.00), (4, 'Chaitali', 25, 'Mumbai', 6500.00), (5, 'Hardik', 27, 'Bhopal', 8500.00), (6, 'Komal', 22, 'Hyderabad', NULL), (7, 'Muffy', 24, 'Indore', NULL); The table is successfully created in the database.
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Biztory
biztory.com › home › blog › 7 things you should know about null values
7 Things to know about NULL values - Biztory | Biztory
October 25, 2025 - Some people have a nasty tendency to impute the mean or an arbitrary value (e.g. 99, 100, 0, -1) directly into the database. If a value appears suspiciously often or seems impossible; it might be an attempt to input NULL values. ... Just to name a couple of examples: I once saw a database where all of the customers who made a purchase before 2005 had an age of 27.
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Essential SQL
essentialsql.com › home › what is a database null value?
What is a Database NULL Value? - Essential SQL
March 4, 2023 - For instance no two NULL are equal to each other. Surprisingly NULL = NULL is FALSE! SQL covers this dilemma though. You can use the IS NULL and IS NOT NULL comparisons to test for NULL values. For example, the following query from the AdventureWorks2012 database
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PREP INSTA
prepinsta.com › home › dbms (database management system) › null values in dbms
Null Values in DBMS | PrepInsta
January 20, 2026 - Special value that is supported ... do not apply for that particular row · For example age of a particular student is not available in the age column of student table then it is represented as null but not as zer...
Find elsewhere
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Relationaldbdesign
relationaldbdesign.com › relational database design › relational data analysis › relational constraints › relational database null values
Null Values in Relational Database (Purpose)
In conclusion, null values in a relational database serve the vital purpose of representing the absence of information or the inapplicability of a data element. Their proper use and handling ensure that the database can accurately model complex and evolving data requirements while maintaining data integrity and flexibility. Every column in a table should contain a value, though there may be times when the value is unknown. For example, consider the following table, which stores data relating to Stories on CD suppliers.
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Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › dotnet › framework › data › adonet › sql › handling-null-values
Handling Null Values - ADO.NET | Microsoft Learn
September 15, 2021 - In SQL Server, the ANSI_NULLS option controls both default nullability in the database and evaluation of comparisons against null values. If ANSI_NULLS is turned on (the default), the IS NULL operator must be used in expressions when testing for null values. For example, the following comparison always yields unknown when ANSI_NULLS is on:
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › en › database › oracle › oracle-database › 19 › sqlrf › Nulls.html
Nulls
November 12, 2025 - Oracle Database currently treats ... strings the same as nulls. Any arithmetic expression containing a null always evaluates to null. For example, null added to 10 is null....
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Oracle
docs.oracle.com › en › database › other-databases › timesten › 22.1 › sql-reference › null-values.html
Null Values
July 25, 2025 - Two NULL values are not equal to ... fact, all operators (except concatenation) return NULL when given a NULL operand. For example, (5-col), where col is NULL, evaluates to NULL....
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Navicat
navicat.com › en › company › aboutus › blog › 1312-the-null-value-and-its-purpose-in-relational-database-systems
The NULL Value and its Purpose in Relational Database Systems
March 3, 2020 - When writing queries, there are times that you'll want to filter out rows with NULL values. Other times, you'll specifically want to retrieve rows that contain NULLs. Here's how to do both: Queries can filter out nulls using the IS NOT NULL clause. Here's an example that excludes films from the Sakila database that contain a NULL original_language_id:
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Quora
quora.com › What-are-some-examples-of-NULL-values-in-SQL-databases
What are some examples of NULL values in SQL databases? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): The phrase SQL NULL is used to signify a missing value. In a table, a NULL value is a value in a field that seems to be blank. A field with a NULL value is one that has no value. It is critical to realize that a NULL value is not the same as a zero value or a field that contains...
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Databasedesign-resource
databasedesign-resource.com › null-values-in-a-database.html
NULL values in a database: A programmer's nightmare
Should we be able to store NULL values in a database. A discussion of NULL values with examples
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Database Journal
databasejournal.com › home › features
Working with NULL Values in SQL | DatabaseJournal.com
March 9, 2023 - Here, In this SQL example, we inserted a new employee into the employees table. The phone_number and manager_id columns both contain NULL values. If we query data in a relational database that contains NULL values, we must first understand how they are handled in different situations.
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DataLemur
datalemur.com › sql-tutorial › sql-null
Handling NULL Values | DataLemur
Health Records: In a patient's medical history, some test results might not be available yet, resulting in NULL values in the test result columns. In essence, values in SQL are like flexible placeholders that cater to the uncertainties and variations in real-world data. They allow databases to accommodate missing or pending information without resorting to assumptions or default values. To demonstrate the usage of SQL functions for handling values, we'll be working with an illustrative table named that contaings details about the best-selling books across diverse genres.
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-definition-of-a-NULL-value-in-a-database-table-Is-it-normal-to-have-a-column-with-a-NULL-value
What is the definition of a NULL value in a database table? Is it normal to have a column with a NULL value? - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): A NULL value in relational database terms represents a value which is not known. It is not zero or space (blank) which are values, simply that the value is unknown. Consider this, lets say we have a database table called ‘PERSONS’ which contain of the following columns: ‘LAST_NA...
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W3Schools
w3schools.com › mysql › mysql_null_values.asp
MySQL NULL Values - IS NULL and IS NOT NULL
It is not possible to test for NULL values with comparison operators, such as =, <, or <>. We will have to use the IS NULL and IS NOT NULL operators instead. SELECT column_names FROM table_name WHERE column_name IS NULL; SELECT column_names FROM table_name WHERE column_name IS NOT NULL; Below is a selection from the "Customers" table in the Northwind sample database:
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Hyperskill
hyperskill.org › university › sql › sql-null-value
SQL NULL Value
October 2, 2024 - In SQL, NULL represents missing ... binary logic. For example, comparing a NULL value with another value using = results in "unknown," as the outcome of the comparison cannot be determined....
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Hightouch
hightouch.com › sql-dictionary › sql-is-null
SQL IS NULL - Syntax, Use Cases, and Examples | Hightouch
December 29, 2023 - The syntax for using the IS NULL operator is as follows: SELECT columns FROM table_name WHERE column_name IS NULL; columns: The columns you want to retrieve in the query. table_name: The name of the table containing the data.