docs: public void refineValueType(VoltType neededType, int neededSize) {
          if (neededType.equals(m_valueType)) {
              return; // HSQL already initialized the expression to have the refined type.
          }
  
          //TODO: For added safety, we MAY want to (re)enable this general assert
          // OR only assert after we give a pass for refining from "generic types". See the comment below.
          // assert(false);
          if ((m_valueType != null) && (m_valueType != VoltType.NUMERIC)) {
              // This code path leaves a generic type (null or NUMERIC) in the expression tree rather
              // than assume that it's safe to change the value type of an arbitrary AbstractExpression.
              // The EE MAY complain about it later.
              // There may be special cases where we want to assert(false) rather than waiting for the EE
              // to complain or even special cases where we want to go ahead and switch the type (scary!).
              return;
          }
  
          // A request to switch an arbitrary AbstractExpression from the specific value type that HSQL
          // assigned to it to a different specific value type that SEEMS to be called for by the usage
          // (target column) is a hard thing to know how to handle.
          // It seems equally dangerous to ignore the HSQL type OR the target type.
          // Maybe this will never occur because HSQL is so smart (and we keep it that way),
          // or maybe the type difference won't really matter to the EE because it's so flexible.
          // Or maybe some of each -- this no-op behavior assumes something like that.
          // BUT maybe it's just always wrong to be trying any such thing, so we should assert(false).
          // Or maybe there need to be special cases.
          // The sad news is that when this assert first went live, it inexplicably caused quiet
          // thread death and hanging rather than an identifiable assert, even when run in the debugger.
          // assert(false);
      }