Re: data decimal errors - ignore the prev message - sorry for thehtml - damned inotes!

["Buck" <buck.calabro@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> For OPM RPG, compile the program CRTRPGPGM
> with IGNDECERR(*YES).

Lasciate ogni spirante, voi ch'entrate!
(Abandon hope, all who enter!)

This is 100% guaranteed to make your program 'work' in ways you absolutely
do NOT want.  For a field with a decimal data error, all of these IF
statements evaluated as TRUE for at least 3 releases of the compiler:

x iflt 0
x ifeq 0
x ifgt 0

Find and fix the errors, do NOT ignore them.  You can tell that I have
strong feelings on the matter.

> For ILE RPG, compile the program CRTRPGMOD or
> CRTBNDRPG with FIXNBR(*ZONED *INPUTPACKED).

Be prepared to have the program slow to a crawl as the runtime logs each and
every 'fixed' variable to the job log.

I strongly advise any and all interface programs describe every field as
character and then perform your own sanity check on the 'numeric' variables
before using them.

> I've got a csv that I import into a workfile and process.
> It's created by a 3rd party.
> sometimes, they screw up and send invalid numeric
> data when I'm looking for numbers.

In this case, what are your business rules?  Reject the whole transmission?
Reject the individual row in error?  Reject the bad value and use a default?
How do you tell the far side that their data didn't pan out?  If you just
ignore the problems you can't very well tell your trading partner that their
transmission was a dud.  I strongly advise an audit report/transmission back
to the originator explaining the errors.  That way they can improve the
process on their side, and have the results they want.

Sorry for the strong emotion.  I have been doing import/conversions for 25
years and have not found any better way to handle this scenario, despite
being prodded by several layers of management and programmers to make the
process 'simpler.'  As soon as we get that mind reading interface going, we
can finally be rid of this whole 'send stuff, get an acknowledgement back'
rigamrole.
  --buck