Speaking of decode, this would be another valuable function to have.

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Ross J. Reedstrom [SMTP:reedstrm@rice.edu]
	Sent:	Tuesday, March 16, 1999 4:59 PM
	To:	hackers@postgreSQL.org
	Subject:	Re: [HACKERS] Associative Operators?  (Was: Re:
[NOVICE] Out of frying  pan, into fire)

	Clark Evans wrote:
	> 
	<snipped discussion of 'something || NULL ' returning non-NULL>

	> However, I'm unaware of any other exceptions in the Oracle
	> database on this issue.  I believe that user defined functions
	> are not allowed to have special NULL treatment -- perhaps
	> Oracle has DECODE and NVL hard coded deep in the guts of
	> their query processor, while the other functions arn't.
	> 
	> Would a compromise be to add DECODE and NVL ?

	What do DECODE and NVL do?

	Ross
	-- 
	Ross J. Reedstrom, Ph.D., <reedstrm@rice.edu> 
	NSBRI Research Scientist/Programmer
	Computer and Information Technology Institute
	Rice University, 6100 S. Main St.,  Houston, TX 77005

Tue, 16 Mar 1999 18:02:50 -0600
Michael Davis <michael.davis@prevuenet.com>
RE: [HACKERS] Associative Operators?  (Was: Re: [NOVICE] Out of f
	rying  pan, into fire)