A Drizzle left join returns null for the whole joined object, not per column

db.select().from(users).leftJoin(posts, ...) returns rows shaped with one key per table, and when no row matched, the entire posts key is null rather than an object of null fields. Code reading a property off it without a guard throws at runtime, even though the TypeScript type marks it nullable, so strict null checks have to be enabled for the compiler to catch it.

With a partial select the shape changes: the result is flat and the joined columns become individually nullable instead, which is a different structure from the same query without a projection. Selecting across three tables yields three top-level keys, so adding a join to an existing query silently changes the shape every consumer receives. Pick one style per query and keep the projection explicit.