# How is Null handled from a CQL and a storage point of view?

**URL:** <https://forum.scylladb.com/t/how-is-null-handled-from-a-cql-and-a-storage-point-of-view/4664>\
**Category:** ScyllaDB\
**Tags:** data-model, architecture\
**Created:** [March 31, 2025, 4:09am UTC](https://forum.scylladb.com/t/how-is-null-handled-from-a-cql-and-a-storage-point-of-view/4664 "2025-03-31T04:09:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Guy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.scylladb.com/guy/32/9_2.png) [@Guy](https://forum.scylladb.com/u/Guy)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2025, 4:09am UTC](https://forum.scylladb.com/t/how-is-null-handled-from-a-cql-and-a-storage-point-of-view/4664/1 "2025-03-31T04:09:08Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> [**Originally from the User Slack**](https://scylladb-users.slack.com/)
> 
> ![Aleksandr_Udovenko](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/scylladb/original/2X/0/03d69c9c3b8f5b7a5cb467d7a2ff13839f6be40b.png) **@Aleksandr\_Udovenko:** Hello i have table like this:
> 
> ```auto
> CREATE TABLE items (
> itemID bigint, 
> offset bigint,  
> props1 bigint,
> props2 bigint,
> PRIMARY KEY( (itemID), offset) );
> 
> ```
> 
> I will have non `NULL` values for `props1`, `props2` very rare, only when `offset`==0. Does scylla optimize store `props1`,`props2` if it will be `NULL` in 99% ? (in my real DB i have many `props`)
> 
> ![Felipe_Cardeneti_Mendes](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/scylladb/original/1X/233a9d524fbc97e39f08633c16b3dd2575d1d1f4.jpeg) **@Felipe\_Cardeneti\_Mendes:** Storage wise, yes - null is… well null 🙂  
> If you are wondering how NULL handling works see [https://github.com/scylladb/scylladb/blob/6d7cb68aabea41024fac925aebc014139f4e5568/docs/cql/cql-extensions.md#null](https://github.com/scylladb/scylladb/blob/6d7cb68aabea41024fac925aebc014139f4e5568/docs/cql/cql-extensions.md#null)
> 
> > GitHub: scylladb/docs/cql/cql-extensions.md at 6d7cb68aabea41024fac925aebc014139f4e5568 · scylladb/scylladb
> 
> ![Aleksandr_Udovenko](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/scylladb/original/2X/0/03d69c9c3b8f5b7a5cb467d7a2ff13839f6be40b.png) **@Aleksandr\_Udovenko:** NULL from point CQL it is intresting, but i need to undertand it from storage side)