>>The problem with high and low values is twofold.
>>(a) As you yourself point out, they depend on the platform.
>>(b) Both are also actual valid values.
>>
>>In fact, the .Net framework has a similar concept. There are MaxValue and MinValue values for, say, the double structure but in addition there are also NegativeInfinity and PositiveInfinity values. And, because a double is not nullable (:-}), there's also Double.NaN (not a number) . Don't know what happens when they are pushed to a database tho....
>
>I'm with you Viv. I think what we need is a unique value that means unknown in all languages and on all platforms. It should be able to work all data types and it should be excluded from calculations automatically without additional coding (if we want it included we should code for inclusion). Yep that's what we need, even hear of any value that is like that?

:-{

And here's someone who thinks inventing null was the worst thing he ever did:
http://qconlondon.com/london-2009/presentation/Null+References%3a+The+Billion+Dollar+Mistake
Admittedly this was not in the context of data tho.....