Question

I am trying to input a date into an Oracle database. Sometime this value will be null. So in the function that I am writing I need a way to be able to pass in this null value. I am passing in this date as a parameter to stored proc. This parameter can be null. I am using the Oracle.DataAccess dll to get this thing to work. If it is indeed null, I am thinking of just throwing in a null variable. Do you think that would work??? Here is how I currently am setting up this scenario…

cmd.Parameters.Add("ACTIVE_DATEIn", DateTime.Parse(ActiveDate));
conn.Open();
outcome = cmd.ExecuteNonQuery();

Active Date is the possible null variable that I am going to pass in. Obviously you can’t Convert a null value into a date Time. What would you guys suggest doing?

Answer 1

Since DateTime is a struct, it cannot contain a null value.

Some people use DateTime.MinValue to store a null value. A better approach would perhaps be to make ActiveDate a DateTime? instead.

Update:

You can also try something like:

cmd.Parameters.Add("ACTIVE_DATEIn", (ActiveDate == null ? OracleDate.Null : OracleDate.Parse(ActiveDate)));