Null VS. 0 as default value in number field

[rsmccli]

Is there any benefit to having 0 instead of null as a default value for combobox/lookup fields? Just wondering because I find the default 0s annoying and am thinking about going through and deleting them all.

Thanks for your time,
rsmccli

[missinglinq]

Your post and your title don't match! I assume that you're referring to a numbers field, as your title states, as your reference in the post to combobox/lookup fields makes no sense. I find the zeros annoying and always delete them when creating a table. Unless you have Access set up to hilite a field on entering it (which is a dangerous practise as it can lead to accidental loss of data) you have to delete the zero before entering your data. And if you usually use the IsNull() function to do data validation it won't pick up that you've not entered any data because the control won't be Null, it'll have the zero in it!

Linq ;0)>

[dbpros]

I prefer to avoid nulls whenever possible. Operations (math, compares etc) with nulls require more work than if they are 0's.

It may be a little more work to restrict nulls initially, but I feel it pays off in the long run.

just my opinion.

http://www.db-pros.com