diff --git a/sql/opt_range.cc b/sql/opt_range.cc
index f111ecf8999..d4dfc5a65af 100644
--- a/sql/opt_range.cc
+++ b/sql/opt_range.cc
@@ -2827,7 +2827,7 @@ double records_in_column_ranges(PARAM *param, uint idx,
   
   /* Handle cases when we don't have a valid non-empty list of range */
   if (!tree)
-    return HA_POS_ERROR;
+    return DBL_MAX;
   if (tree->type == SEL_ARG::IMPOSSIBLE)
     return (0L);
 
@@ -2847,9 +2847,9 @@ double records_in_column_ranges(PARAM *param, uint idx,
     max_endp= range.end_key.length? &range.end_key : NULL;
     rows= get_column_range_cardinality(field, min_endp, max_endp,
                                        range.range_flag);
-    if (HA_POS_ERROR == rows)
+    if (DBL_MAX == rows)
     {
-      total_rows= HA_POS_ERROR;
+      total_rows= DBL_MAX;
       break;
     }
     total_rows += rows;
@@ -3083,7 +3083,7 @@ bool calculate_cond_selectivity_for_table(THD *thd, TABLE *table, Item **cond)
         else
         {
           rows= records_in_column_ranges(&param, idx, key);
-          if (rows != HA_POS_ERROR)
+          if (rows != DBL_MAX)
             key->field->cond_selectivity= rows/table_records;
         }
       }
diff --git a/sql/sql_statistics.cc b/sql/sql_statistics.cc
index ad71f634265..9c84729e1c2 100644
--- a/sql/sql_statistics.cc
+++ b/sql/sql_statistics.cc
@@ -3752,7 +3752,10 @@ double get_column_avg_frequency(Field * field)
   using the statistical data from the table column_stats.
 
   @retval
-  The required estimate of the rows in the column range
+  - The required estimate of the rows in the column range
+  - If there is some kind of error, this function should return DBL_MAX (and
+    not HA_POS_ERROR as that is an integer constant).
+
 */
 
 double get_column_range_cardinality(Field *field,