diff --git a/basis/db/postgresql/postgresql.factor b/basis/db/postgresql/postgresql.factor
index f9c9ea73ec..2b4cadf489 100644
--- a/basis/db/postgresql/postgresql.factor
+++ b/basis/db/postgresql/postgresql.factor
@@ -230,6 +230,7 @@ M: postgresql-db persistent-table ( -- hashtable )
 
         { +foreign-id+ { f f "references" } }
 
+        { +on-update+ { f f "on update" } }
         { +on-delete+ { f f "on delete" } }
         { +restrict+ { f f "restrict" } }
         { +cascade+ { f f "cascade" } }
diff --git a/basis/db/queries/queries.factor b/basis/db/queries/queries.factor
index 768ec70185..3cf4d98215 100644
--- a/basis/db/queries/queries.factor
+++ b/basis/db/queries/queries.factor
@@ -114,6 +114,9 @@ M: sequence where ( spec obj -- )
         [ " or " 0% ] [ dupd where ] interleave drop
     ] in-parens ;
 
+M: NULL where ( spec obj -- )
+    drop column-name>> 0% " is NULL" 0% ;
+
 : object-where ( spec obj -- )
     over column-name>> 0% " = " 0% bind# ;
 
diff --git a/basis/db/sqlite/sqlite.factor b/basis/db/sqlite/sqlite.factor
index 216f324bbf..93135a23e3 100644
--- a/basis/db/sqlite/sqlite.factor
+++ b/basis/db/sqlite/sqlite.factor
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@ M: sqlite-db persistent-table ( -- assoc )
         { +random-id+ { "integer" "integer" f } }
         { +foreign-id+ { "integer" "integer" "references" } }
 
+        { +on-update+ { f f "on update" } }
         { +on-delete+ { f f "on delete" } }
         { +restrict+ { f f "restrict" } }
         { +cascade+ { f f "cascade" } }
diff --git a/basis/db/tuples/tuples-docs.factor b/basis/db/tuples/tuples-docs.factor
index 02f5dfa38c..51830ee610 100644
--- a/basis/db/tuples/tuples-docs.factor
+++ b/basis/db/tuples/tuples-docs.factor
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ T{ book
 "Now we've created a book. Let's save it to the database."
 { $code <" USING: db db.sqlite fry io.files ;
 : with-book-tutorial ( quot -- )
-     '[ "book-tutorial.db" temp-file sqlite-db _ with-db ] call ;
+     '[ "book-tutorial.db" temp-file <sqlite-db> _ with-db ] call ;
 
 [
     book recreate-table
diff --git a/basis/db/tuples/tuples-tests.factor b/basis/db/tuples/tuples-tests.factor
index f5569a97cd..192986484e 100644
--- a/basis/db/tuples/tuples-tests.factor
+++ b/basis/db/tuples/tuples-tests.factor
@@ -472,7 +472,12 @@ TUPLE: exam id name score ;
         T{ exam } select-tuples
     ] unit-test
 
-    [ 4 ] [ T{ exam } count-tuples ] unit-test ;
+    [ 4 ] [ T{ exam } count-tuples ] unit-test
+
+    [ ] [ T{ exam { score 10 } } insert-tuple ] unit-test
+
+    [ 10 ]
+    [ T{ exam { name NULL } } select-tuples first score>> ] unit-test ;
 
 TUPLE: bignum-test id m n o ;
 : <bignum-test> ( m n o -- obj )
diff --git a/basis/db/types/types.factor b/basis/db/types/types.factor
index ac9e3397f8..6a889689ce 100644
--- a/basis/db/types/types.factor
+++ b/basis/db/types/types.factor
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ SINGLETONS: +db-assigned-id+ +user-assigned-id+ +random-id+ ;
 UNION: +primary-key+ +db-assigned-id+ +user-assigned-id+ +random-id+ ;
 
 SYMBOLS: +autoincrement+ +serial+ +unique+ +default+ +null+ +not-null+
-+foreign-id+ +has-many+ +on-delete+ +restrict+ +cascade+ +set-null+
-+set-default+ ;
++foreign-id+ +has-many+ +on-update+ +on-delete+ +restrict+ +cascade+
++set-null+ +set-default+ ;
 
 SYMBOL: IGNORE
 
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ ERROR: not-persistent class ;
 
 : relation? ( spec -- ? ) [ +has-many+ = ] deep-find ;
 
-SYMBOLS: INTEGER BIG-INTEGER SIGNED-BIG-INTEGER UNSIGNED-BIG-INTEGER
+SINGLETONS: INTEGER BIG-INTEGER SIGNED-BIG-INTEGER UNSIGNED-BIG-INTEGER
 DOUBLE REAL BOOLEAN TEXT VARCHAR DATE TIME DATETIME TIMESTAMP BLOB
 FACTOR-BLOB NULL URL ;
 
diff --git a/extra/webapps/calculator/calculator.factor b/extra/webapps/calculator/calculator.factor
index f1416fb02d..d19946d39b 100644
--- a/extra/webapps/calculator/calculator.factor
+++ b/extra/webapps/calculator/calculator.factor
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ TUPLE: calculator < dispatcher ;
 ! Deployment example
 USING: db.sqlite furnace.alloy namespaces http.server ;
 
-: calculator-db ( -- params db ) "calculator.db" sqlite-db ;
+: calculator-db ( -- db ) "calculator.db" <sqlite-db> ;
 
 : run-calculator ( -- )
     <calculator>
diff --git a/extra/webapps/counter/counter.factor b/extra/webapps/counter/counter.factor
index a5c9fbc6b9..d62096fffc 100644
--- a/extra/webapps/counter/counter.factor
+++ b/extra/webapps/counter/counter.factor
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ M: counter-app init-session* drop 0 count sset ;
 ! Deployment example
 USING: db.sqlite furnace.alloy namespaces ;
 
-: counter-db ( -- params db ) "counter.db" sqlite-db ;
+: counter-db ( -- db ) "counter.db" <sqlite-db> ;
 
 : run-counter ( -- )
     <counter-app>