Re: ORDER BY and NULLs

Use the coalesce() function. (coalesce returns the first non-null value in its list)

Specifically

ORDER BY coalesce("TO", 0), "FROM"

If you have records in "TO" column whose values is LESS then 0, then you need to replace 0 with
something that sorts BEFORE the first most value that your TO result can return.

Terry Fielder
Manager Software Development and Deployment
Great Gulf Homes / Ashton Woods Homes
terry(at)greatgulfhomes(dot)com
Fax: (416) 441-9085

> -----Original Message-----
> From: pgsql-sql-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org
> [mailto:pgsql-sql-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org]On Behalf Of T E Schmitz
> Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2004 10:58 AM
> To: pgsql-sql(at)postgresql(dot)org
> Subject: [SQL] ORDER BY and NULLs
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I am using PostgreSQL 7.4.2 and as I understand NULL values
> always sort
> last.
>
> However, I have a table from which select using two numerical
> sort keys
> "FROM" and "TO". "TO" might be NULL and I would like to display those
> rows first (without sorting the column in descending order).
>
> Is there any way this can be achieved without inserting bogus values
> into that column?
>
> --
>
>
> Regards/Gruß,
>
> Tarlika Elisabeth Schmitz
>
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