Re: BIGINT Field Size

[Hans Boldt <boldt@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Fisher, Don wrote:
> I don't wish to sound unappreciative Hans, but my V4R1 system allows 30
> digit packed numeric variables.  Why did you only increase the number of
> digits by one?
Yeah OK, I was trying to be sarcastic in my comment.  The reason for
the increase to 31 had something to do with some decimal field in
some API or system file that could potentially overflow a 30 digit
decimal.

Actually, I don't know why we stayed at 30 digits for so long.  I
remember when we went up to 30 digits in the AS/400 RPG compiler for
 OS/400 Release 1.  But I can't remember the reason we stayed one
digit shy of 31.  (Probably some MI limitation.)  We probably should
have gone to 31 digits for the V3R1 RPG IV compiler, and I'm not
sure why we didn't do it then either.  So basically, we just did
something we should have done a long time ago.

BTW, do you think there's any need to go beyond 31 digits?  (Going
further would require significant support from a number of other
components, such as database, W-Code, and translator.)

Cheers!  Hans