NULL Values do not Count Against Your Vertica License!

Jim_Knicely

I get asked a lot if NULL values stored in table columns are counted against the raw data size of a Vertica license. The answer is no.

Example:

dbadmin=> SELECT audit_length(123);
audit_length
--------------
            3
(1 row)

dbadmin=> SELECT audit_length(NULL);
audit_length
--------------
            0
(1 row)

dbadmin=> CREATE TABLE test (c1 INT);
CREATE TABLE

dbadmin=> INSERT INTO test SELECT 123;
OUTPUT
--------
      1
(1 row)

dbadmin=> SELECT audit('test');
audit
-------
3
(1 row)

dbadmin=> INSERT INTO test SELECT NULL;
OUTPUT
--------
      1
(1 row)

dbadmin=> SELECT audit('test');
audit
-------
3
(1 row)

Helpful Links:
https://www.vertica.com/docs/9.2.x/HTML/Content/Authoring/AdministratorsGuide/Licensing/CalculatingTheDatabaseSize.htm

Have fun!