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            How Null Values Work in Decision Tables

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            How Null Values Work in Decision Tables

            Use the Consider Null Values for Lookup option to handle the behavior of how rows with null values are treated during lookup. When you enable this option, rows with null values in the decision table are matched only when the input explicitly includes null, which ensures precise matches. When you disable this option, and any of the rows have null values, then the column values that pertain to the null value are also considered as null.

            Required Editions

            Available in: Lightning Experience
            Available in: Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer Editions for clouds that have Business Rules Engine enabled
            Note
            Note Decision tables consider null values for the input conditions that are mandatory and have the operator set as Equal.
            Example
            Example Consider the scenario where a decision table has input and output columns per this table:
            INPUT OUTPUT
            Product Payment type Price Discount
            A one-time 1000 5
            B null 500 10
            B one-time 500 15
            When Consider Null Values for Lookup is enabled, the output matches a null input to the explicit null value in the payment type column. When Consider Null Values for Lookup is disabled, the output matches a null input to all the values in the payment type column. Here is a table that compares the outputs for when Consider Null Values for Lookup is enabled and disabled.
            Product Payment Type Price Output with Consider Null Values for Lookup Enabled Output with Consider Null Values for Lookup Disabled
            A one-time 1000 5 (first row is an exact match) 5 (first row is an exact match)
            B null 500 10 (second row matches explicit null in input) 10 and 15 (second and third rows match the product and price columns, and null matches all values in the payment type column)
            A null 1000 No output values (first row's 'one-time' doesn't match explicit null) 5 (first row matches the product and price and null matches all payment type values)
            B one-time 500 15 (third row is an exact match) 15 (third row is an exact match)

            Null Values vs. Empty Strings in CSV Decision Tables

            When you create or edit a decision table by using a CSV file, Business Rules Engine distinguishes between empty cells and null values based on what the cell contains.

            • An empty cell in a CSV file is interpreted as an empty string (""), not as a null value.
            • To represent a null value in a CSV file, enter NULL in uppercase in the cell.

            This distinction affects how the decision table matches input values at runtime, especially when you use the Consider Null Values for Lookup option.

            Consider a decision table with these CSV rows for the Payment Type column.

            Product Payment Type (cell value in CSV) How Business Rules Engine Interprets the Value
            A one-time Treated as the string one-time.
            B (empty cell) Treated as an empty string ("").
            C NULL Treated as a null value.
            Note
            Note The Consider Null Values for Lookup option affects how null values are matched during lookup, but it doesn't change how empty cells and the literal NULL are interpreted in the CSV file.
             
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