diff --git a/include/sqlpp11/column.h b/include/sqlpp11/column.h
index 47bb5c78..5b078905 100644
--- a/include/sqlpp11/column.h
+++ b/include/sqlpp11/column.h
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ namespace sqlpp
 			using _provided_tables = detail::type_set<>;
 			using _required_tables = detail::type_set<Table>;
 			using _extra_tables = detail::type_set<>;
+			using _can_be_null = column_spec_can_be_null_t<ColumnSpec>;
 		};
 
 		using _spec_t = ColumnSpec;
diff --git a/include/sqlpp11/extra_tables.h b/include/sqlpp11/extra_tables.h
index a00be84a..3295e696 100644
--- a/include/sqlpp11/extra_tables.h
+++ b/include/sqlpp11/extra_tables.h
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ namespace sqlpp
 				using _required_tables = ::sqlpp::detail::type_set<>;
 				using _provided_tables = ::sqlpp::detail::type_set<>;
 				using _extra_tables = ::sqlpp::detail::type_set<Tables...>;
+				using _can_be_null = std::false_type;
 			};
 
 			// FIXME: extra_tables must not require tables!
diff --git a/include/sqlpp11/parameter.h b/include/sqlpp11/parameter.h
index 3cf45236..109c4ae5 100644
--- a/include/sqlpp11/parameter.h
+++ b/include/sqlpp11/parameter.h
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ namespace sqlpp
 			using _provided_tables = detail::type_set<>;
 			using _required_tables = detail::type_set<>;
 			using _extra_tables = detail::type_set<>;
+			using _can_be_null = std::true_type;
 		};
 
 		using _instance_t = typename NameType::_name_t::template _member_t<typename ValueType::_parameter_t>;
diff --git a/include/sqlpp11/statement.h b/include/sqlpp11/statement.h
index 416f1654..e6de3f4b 100644
--- a/include/sqlpp11/statement.h
+++ b/include/sqlpp11/statement.h
@@ -110,6 +110,7 @@ namespace sqlpp
 					using _provided_tables = detail::type_set<>;
 					using _extra_tables = detail::type_set<>;
 					using _parameters = detail::make_parameter_tuple_t<parameters_of<Policies>...>;
+					using _can_be_null = detail::any_t<can_be_null_t<_value_type>::value>;
 				};
 			};
 	}
diff --git a/include/sqlpp11/table.h b/include/sqlpp11/table.h
index 9dc4183f..94f58528 100644
--- a/include/sqlpp11/table.h
+++ b/include/sqlpp11/table.h
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ namespace sqlpp
 			using _required_tables = detail::type_set<>;
 			using _provided_tables = detail::type_set<Table>;
 			using _extra_tables = detail::type_set<>;
+			using _can_be_null = std::false_type;
 		};
 
 		static_assert(sizeof...(ColumnSpec), "at least one column required per table");
diff --git a/include/sqlpp11/table_alias.h b/include/sqlpp11/table_alias.h
index ff1a3e19..aa162ddc 100644
--- a/include/sqlpp11/table_alias.h
+++ b/include/sqlpp11/table_alias.h
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ namespace sqlpp
 			using _required_tables = detail::type_set<>;
 			using _provided_tables = detail::type_set<AliasProvider>;
 			using _extra_tables = detail::type_set<>;
+			using _can_be_null = std::false_type;
 		};
 
 		static_assert(required_tables_of<Table>::size::value == 0, "table aliases must not depend on external tables");
diff --git a/include/sqlpp11/type_traits.h b/include/sqlpp11/type_traits.h
index 9bf63bfc..4a606fc5 100644
--- a/include/sqlpp11/type_traits.h
+++ b/include/sqlpp11/type_traits.h
@@ -32,6 +32,30 @@
 
 namespace sqlpp
 {
+	namespace detail
+	{
+		template<typename T, typename Enable = void>
+		struct can_be_null_impl { using type = std::false_type; };
+		template<typename T>
+		struct can_be_null_impl<T, typename std::enable_if<T::_recursive_traits::_can_be_null::value>::type> { using type = std::true_type; };
+	}
+	template<typename T>
+	using can_be_null_t = typename detail::can_be_null_impl<T>::type;
+
+	namespace tag\
+	{\
+		struct can_be_null{};\
+	};\
+	namespace detail\
+	{\
+		template<typename T, typename Enable = void>\
+		struct column_spec_can_be_null_impl { using type = std::false_type; };\
+		template<typename T>\
+		struct column_spec_can_be_null_impl<T, typename std::enable_if<detail::is_element_of<tag::can_be_null, typename T::_traits::_tags>::value>::type> { using type = std::true_type; };\
+	}\
+	template<typename T>\
+	using column_spec_can_be_null_t = typename detail::column_spec_can_be_null_impl<T>::type;
+
 #define SQLPP_VALUE_TRAIT_GENERATOR(name) \
 	namespace tag\
 	{\
@@ -112,7 +136,6 @@ namespace sqlpp
 	SQLPP_VALUE_TRAIT_GENERATOR(must_not_insert);
 	SQLPP_VALUE_TRAIT_GENERATOR(must_not_update);
 	SQLPP_VALUE_TRAIT_GENERATOR(require_insert);
-	SQLPP_VALUE_TRAIT_GENERATOR(can_be_null);
 	SQLPP_VALUE_TRAIT_GENERATOR(trivial_value_is_null);
 
 	SQLPP_IS_VALUE_TRAIT_GENERATOR(noop);
@@ -237,6 +260,7 @@ namespace sqlpp
 			using _provided_tables = detail::make_joined_set_t<provided_tables_of<Arguments>...>;
 			using _extra_tables = detail::make_joined_set_t<extra_tables_of<Arguments>...>;
 			using _parameters = detail::make_parameter_tuple_t<parameters_of<Arguments>...>;
+			using _can_be_null = detail::any_t<can_be_null_t<Arguments>::value...>;
 		};
 
 }