NULL value in multi-column primary key

Question

I've got a table with several columns making up the primary key. The nature of the data stored allows some of these fields to have NULL values. I have designed my table as such:

CREATE TABLE `test` (
    `Field1` SMALLINT(5) UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
    `Field2` DECIMAL(5,2) UNSIGNED NULL DEFAULT NULL,
    PRIMARY KEY (`Field1`, `Field2`)
)
COLLATE='latin1_swedish_ci'
ENGINE=InnoDB;

However, when I run describe test it shows like this:

|| *Field* || *Type*                || *Null* || *Key* || *Default* || *Extra* 
|| Field1  || smallint(5) unsigned  || NO     || PRI   ||           ||         
|| Field2  || decimal(5,2) unsigned || NO     || PRI   || 0.00      ||         

And I keep getting an error when inserting a NULL value.

Column 'Field2' cannot be null

Is this because a field that is part of a primary key cannot be null? What are my alternatives besides using, say, '0' for NULL?

Answer 1

you can use unique keys, please take a look to this link, they work with null values

http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2009/09/12/the-difference-between-a-unique-index-and-primary-key-in-mysql/

Answer 2

Primary keys are used to make the column both unique and not null

Inorder to insert insert null values make field2 as Unique

Unique constraint make the field removes duplicates but allow null values

Answer 3

Primary key states that column mustn't have NULL values. So columns used for defining composite primary key isn't going to be NULL.

Also Oracle server compares the combination of all columns used in a composite primary key definition. If your all columns existing data (say x,y) matched with newly adding row, it will raise error of Unique Constraint Violated.

Moreover,look at this thread: What's wrong with nullable columns in composite primary keys?.

This link provides valuable information regarding possibility of NULLABLE columns in composite key!

Answer 4

You can use unique key like this:

mysql> CREATE TABLE `test` (
    ->     `Field1` SMALLINT(5) UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
    ->     `Field2` DECIMAL(5,2) UNSIGNED NULL DEFAULT NULL,
    ->     UNIQUE KEY (`Field1`, `Field2`)
    -> )
    -> COLLATE='latin1_swedish_ci'
    -> ENGINE=InnoDB;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.03 sec)

mysql> 
mysql> desc test
    -> ;
+--------+-----------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| Field  | Type                  | Null | Key | Default | Extra |
+--------+-----------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+
| Field1 | smallint(5) unsigned  | NO   | MUL | NULL    |       |
| Field2 | decimal(5,2) unsigned | YES  |     | NULL    |       |
+--------+-----------------------+------+-----+---------+-------+
2 rows in set (0.01 sec)

Answer 5

From the MySQL documentation :

A PRIMARY KEY is a unique index where all key columns must be defined as NOT NULL. If they
are not explicitly declared as NOT NULL, MySQL declares them so implicitly (and silently). A table can have only one PRIMARY KEY. The name of a PRIMARY KEY is always PRIMARY, which thus cannot be used as the name for any other kind of index.

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/create-table.html

If Field2 can be NULL, I question why you need it as part of the Primary Key since you then need Field1 to be distinct across all rows. So Field1 by itself should be sufficient as the Primary Key. You could create a different type of index on Field2.