Writes values in IBM packed decimal format
| Numeric |
|
| Width range: |
1-16 bytes
|
| Default width: |
1
|
| Decimal range: |
0-31
|
| Alignment: |
left
|
| OS/390 specifics: |
IBM packed decimal format
|
In packed decimal format, each byte represents two decimal digits. An IBM
packed decimal number consists of a sign and up to 31 digits, thus giving
a range of 1031 -1 to -1031 + 1. The sign is written in the rightmost nibble. (A nibble
is four bits or half a byte.) A hexadecimal C indicates a plus sign, and a
hexadecimal D indicates a minus sign. The rest of the nibbles to the left
of the sign nibble represent decimal digits.
The hexadecimal
values of these digit nibbles correspond to decimal values; therefore, only
values between '0'x and '9'x can be used in the digit p sitions.
If an overflow occurs, the value that is written is
the largest value that fits into the output field; the value will be positive,
negative, or unsigned, as appropriate.
Here are several examples of packed decimal format:
Note:
In these examples, the Value column
represents the value of the data, and the Results column shows a hexadecimal
representation of the bit pattern written by the corresponding format. (You
cannot view this data in a text editor, unless you can view it in hexadecimal
representation.) ![[cautend]](../common/images/cautend.gif)
Copyright © 1999 by SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA. All rights reserved.
