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DeltaMaster clicks!
June 2010

Trick of the month:
Null values, 0 and null members -
much ado about nothing
in analytical applications

June 2010

Greetings, fellow data analysts!

When the ancient Babylonians invented the number 0, they turned 'nothing' into something tangible. Giving 'nothing' a name and face was a fundamental requirement for progress. After all, our numerical, decimal, and almost all denominatio­nal number systems wouldn't work without a 0. The alternative would be to do math using tally sheets or Roman numerals - which is really difficult to say the least.

A common cliché says that the only thing that computer science needs besides a 0 is a 1. And although a '1' is always unique, 'nothing' is not always the same, too: A missing value is completely different than a value that shows when the cash is indeed empty. You can really philosophize over these and other variations of 'nothing'. But we will save that for another time and place. What interests us in this edition of clicks! is how null values, the number '0', and null members influence reports and analyses.

You'll see that DeltaMaster not only makes it easier to work with numbers. It is also a great help when they are missing.

Best regards,

Your Bissantz & Company team

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