I am relatively new to SQL and have come upon a problem. I work in a Clinical Studies department. It is important to my supervisors that no fields are left blank. This becomes a problem for numeric and date fields where the data is unknown. I do not want to use such concentions as 9999 or 01/01/1901 for unknowns due to the fact that they have real value. Essentially I need a code convention for unknown numeric and date values that denotes the data therein as unknown, as opposed to ridiculously large or small.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

use NULL

that's what it is intended for -- to indicate unknown values

Thanks. That's what I wanted to use from the start, however she views the database from an Access adp so she sees blank fields and that bothers her. Oh well, seems like I don't have any other option. Thanks again.

use IIF(ISNULL(field),'this field is null',field) in order to show something when there's really nothing there

I can't use that in a numeric field or date/time though, correct?

uh..., er, i mean, um..

haha, thanks though.