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Does SUM discard rows that have 0 values?

Rudy Limeback EXPERT RESPONSE FROM: Rudy Limeback

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QUESTION POSED ON: 18 May 2007

Does SUM discard rows that have 0 values if it is applied to a column in a table? For example,

SELECT SUM(CREDIT_HRS)... FROM tablename


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No. The SUM function, as well as all other aggregate functions, includes all non-NULL values, and zero is non-NULL. NULLs are ignored, but NULLs are not the same as zeroes.

But when you stop and think about it, what would the difference to the final answer be if zeroes were excluded, as compared to included? Would the answer be any different?




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