Re: NULLs: theoretical problems?

>> Each relates to interpretation and to an abstract entity taken as a given. <<

Like numbers, points on a plane and all those other mathematical constructs :)?

NULLs have an "evolutionary lineage" in statistics which was worrying about missing values long before computers. Computer science has had its own problem with missing data. The Interim Report 75-02-08 to the ANSI X3 (SPARC Study Group 1975) had 14 different kinds of incomplete data that could appear as the result of queries or as attribute values. These types included overflows, underflows, errors, and other problems in trying to represent the real world within the limits of a computer. I think the list is up to 20+ now. Received on Sat Aug 11 2007 - 20:23:43 CEST