TEMP_EXTRACT_NULL_AS_ZERO Option

Controls the representation of null values in the output of the data extraction facility for an ASCII extraction.

Allowed Values

ON, OFF

Default

OFF

Scope

Option can be set at the database (PUBLIC) or user level. When set at the database level, the value becomes the default for any new user, but has no impact on existing users. When set at the user level, overrides the PUBLIC value for that user only. No system privilege is required to set option for self. System privilege is required to set at database level or at user level for any user other than self.

Requires the SET ANY PUBLIC OPTION system privilege to set this option. Can be set temporary for an individual connection or for the PUBLIC role. Takes effect immediately.

Remarks

TEMP_EXTRACT_NULL_AS_ZERO controls the representation of null values in the output of the data extraction facility for ASCII extractions. When TEMP_EXTRACT_NULL_AS_ZERO is set to ON, a null value is represented as follows:
  • '0' for arithmetic type
  • '' (the empty string) for the CHAR and VARCHAR character types
  • '' (the empty string) for dates
  • '' (the empty string) for times
  • '' (the empty string) for timestamps

The quotes shown above are not present in the extract output file. When the TEMP_EXTRACT_NULL_AS_ZERO option is set to OFF, the string 'NULL' is used in all cases to represent a NULL value. OFF is the default value.

Note: In SAP Sybase IQ 12.5, an ASCII extract from a CHAR or VARCHAR column in a table always returns at least four characters to the output file. This is required if TEMP_EXTRACT_NULL_AS_ZERO is set to OFF, because SAP Sybase IQ needs to write out the word NULL for any row in a column that has a null value. Reserving four spaces is not required if TEMP_EXTRACT_NULL_AS_ZERO is set to ON.

In SAP Sybase IQ 12.6, if TEMP_EXTRACT_NULL_AS_ZERO is set to ON, the number of characters that an ASCII extract writes to a file for a CHAR or VARCHAR column equals the number of characters in the column, even if that number is less than four.

Parent topic: Alphabetical List of Options