Can we replace null values with banks in the external table instead of
spaces?

'missing field values are null' replaces with nulls.

any ideas?

Thanks.

KK wrote:
> Can we replace null values with banks in the external table instead of
> spaces?
>
> 'missing field values are null' replaces with nulls.
>
> any ideas?
>
> Thanks.

Please explain.

1. What version of Oracle?
2. By "replace" do you mean edit the text file?
3. By "replace" do you mean update an external table?
--
Daniel A. Morgan
http://www.psoug.org
damorgan@x.washington.edu
(replace x with u to respond)

Morgan,

sorry there was a mistake in my original question. The question
would be

Can we replace null values with banks or spaces in the external table?

my test file is some thing like

1,name,country,,address,,
2,name,country,,address,,

I am able to create external table with 4,6,7 columns as NULL
I want the data in these columns as blank or spaces.

I am using Oracle 9i.

Thanks.

DA Morgan wrote:
> KK wrote:
> > Can we replace null values with banks in the external table instead of
> > spaces?
> >
> > 'missing field values are null' replaces with nulls.
> >
> > any ideas?
> >
> > Thanks.
>
> Please explain.
>
> 1. What version of Oracle?
> 2. By "replace" do you mean edit the text file?
> 3. By "replace" do you mean update an external table?
> --
> Daniel A. Morgan
> http://www.psoug.org
> damorgan@x.washington.edu
> (replace x with u to respond)

KK wrote:
> Morgan,
>
> sorry there was a mistake in my original question. The question
> would be
>
> Can we replace null values with banks or spaces in the external table?
>
> my test file is some thing like
>
> 1,name,country,,address,,
> 2,name,country,,address,,
>
> I am able to create external table with 4,6,7 columns as NULL
> I want the data in these columns as blank or spaces.
>
> I am using Oracle 9i.
>
> Thanks.

I know you think you clarified things but your response is just as
confusing as the original and you still didn't include a version number.

Are you talking about editing the physical file? Yes you can modify it.
Are you talking about updating a record using DML? No you can not.
Are you expecting there to be a difference between spaces and NULL?
If so what are your expectations and are they based on work with SQL
Server or some other non-Oracle product?
--
Daniel A. Morgan
http://www.psoug.org
damorgan@x.washington.edu
(replace x with u to respond)

KK wrote:
> Can we replace null values with banks or spaces in the external table?
>
> my test file is some thing like
>
> 1,name,country,,address,,
> 2,name,country,,address,,
>
> I am able to create external table with 4,6,7 columns as NULL
> I want the data in these columns as blank or spaces.
>
> I am using Oracle 9i.
>
> Thanks.

No, you cannot specify a default for missing values in the external
table definition, although it should be easy enough to have a view over
it using NVL etc.

btw I'm not sure what blanks are if they are not the same as spaces.