Update only Null entries

[Nelmo]

I have a field [StartDate] that when the database was designed was not a 'Required' field.
It now needs to be. However, there are 3500 blank entries that i would like to put some nominal date into (say 01/01/01) so that I can enforce the 'required' property.
I have tried #01/01/01# in the 'Update To' and Is Null in 'Criteria' but it doesn't work.
Could anyone tell me what I am doing wrong?

Thanks in advance

 

[Mile-O]

UPDATE MyTable
SET MyField = #01/01/05#
WHERE CriteriaField Is Null;

 

[Nelmo]

I have already tried that SJ.
This is in Access 97

Field: [StartDate]
Table: [tblSubOrder]
Update To: #01/01/01#
Criteria: Is Null

It doesn't update

 

[Mile-O]

UPDATE tblSubOrder SET StartDate = #01/01/01# WHERE StartDate Is Null;

If that doesn't work, then do you get any error messages?

 

[Nelmo]

DOH

I had been 'Viewing' the results expecting to see '01/01/01' in each of the cells in the [StartDate] field. But you dont see the results until you 'Run' the query.

I was thrown by seeing empty cells when I viewed. Which is exactly what I should be seeing.

Thanks for the help SJ