Re: System 36 files (Moved from RPG-L)

As the 36 did not initialize fields automatically, your files could contain
blanks in supposedly numeric fields.  Depending on how your programs on the
36 were written, you could find other "numeric" fields with non-numeric data
in them.

This will result in decimal data errors as you modernize your applications.

You could write programs to clean the data before copying it over, or use
conversion programs to "massage" the data before putting it in the
Externally Described File.

James Morey



----- Original Message -----
From: "Pat Barber" <mboceanside@worldnet.att.net>
To: <MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2000 4:01 PM
Subject: Re: System 36 files (Moved from RPG-L)


>
>
> > >
> > > Can someone tell me if can you copy a file from a system36 file
structureto a
> > > native 400 file with a dds created. Does the 400 put the data in the
> > > appropriate fields automatically with same record lengths in the 400
pf? Or
> > > do I have to write a conversion program?
>
> No conversion program is needed (use CPYF with *NOCHK option)
>
> when you create the DDS for the "new" externally described file, you
> must account for every single byte in the record including any blank
> spaces. This "normally" doesn't take long but having good file layouts
> will really aid in the process. It's those little "I forgot" about
> fields that will kill you.(I forgot we did a quicky program to put a "*"
> in position 248 if today is Wednesday). Normally if you get the record
> length correct, you will be pretty safe to do a cpyf from old to new.
>
> The 400 doesn't "know" where to put the fields, you are just copying
> from one file to another.... It assumes you know what you are doing.
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