How to handle not-null column with default value?

Justin_F · **Joined:** Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:56 pm **Posts:** 4

We running on an Oracle 10g database and many of our columns are set up such that the value cannot be null but a default value is defined:

Code:

MYCOL VARCHAR2(1) default 'N' not null
DATE_CREATED DATE default sysdate

As I'm working with hibernate in my code I create an entity object and set some of the field values. I'd like Oracle to use the defaults for both of the columns I listed above columns so I don't set the values, thinking the defaults will be used. No, instead I get this error:

Code:

org.hibernate.PropertyValueException: not-null property references a null or transient value: com.mycompany.myentity.dateCreated

So my question is, what is the best practice to tell Hibernate to allow the database to use the default value for columns?

Edit:
I should add that we're using Hibernate 3.3.2 with Annotations

steve · **Posted:** Fri Feb 12, 2010 4:07 pm

http://docs.jboss.org/hibernate/core/3.3/reference/en/html_single/#mapping-declaration-class

Code:

<class .. dynamic-insert="true">
</class>

^^ Will hurt performance as Hibernate cannot determine the SQL statement up front anymore; it must be calculated for each insert

Justin_F · **Joined:** Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:56 pm **Posts:** 4

Hurts performance...doesn't sound good. So, how do most people handle this situation? Just set the field to whatever the database default is set to before inserting it?

Cameron McKenzie · **Posted:** Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:45 am

If there's a database default, won't it just take that when the null is sent to the database?

steve · **Posted:** Sat Feb 13, 2010 11:03 am

@justin - well what other option is there? It's that or as you said duplicate the 'default values' yourself in the java code

@cameron - no that's not the case because an explicit null is still an explicit value. The default values only 'kick in' as implicit values

Justin_F · **Joined:** Wed Sep 23, 2009 3:56 pm **Posts:** 4

steve wrote:

@justin - well what other option is there? It's that or as you said duplicate the 'default values' yourself in the java code

Don't know what other option there is...that's why I'm here. :) Thanks for the help/info, I appreciate it!