Whoops I did it again, Chapter 9

 It is so nice when you start a chapter and when you are reading it you feel like the author really understand what issues you are having. Right off the bat Kathi starts by sharing with me and only me (well, in my copy of the book), that sometimes working on a query is just as much an art as it is a Science. I have also learned over the years that different people learn in different fashions, I learn the best by reading and then doing, and in most cases reading again then fixing what I did the first time. This chapter is no let down with the examples and along with where you can download the sample code.

I also have to admit that right off that bat Kathi has covered something that I find myself talking about again and again. What does NULL mean? Is it a 0, is it a ‘ ‘? One of the best descriptions I have heard of this makes it really simple. If you consider the question

How old are you?

• 0 would mean that you gave me a value.
• ‘ ‘ would mean that you refused to answer
• NULL would mean that you were never asked the question.

When you take the basic understanding and apply it to the rest of the section you end up with in depth examples that are priceless. Knowing what to use when will save you tons of processing power.

The chapter continues from there and doesn’t stop. Kathi’s chapter does not disappoint and if you were looking for cost justification for purchasing the book this chapter alone could prove its value.