RE: Validating packed data in a character field

["Dennis Lovelady" <iseries@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> It is
> the 8 digit number that is corrupted sometimes.  Is there an SQL
> statement that I can use to find the corrupt numbers?  I would
> want to report them so that they can be fixed.

I would not assign this task to SQL due to its nature.  (SQL tries to avoid
presenting you with invalid data, and may not therefore be the best tool to
help you identify bad data.)

I would instead write a little RPG program that simply externally defined
the fields, something like this meager example.  In fact, data retrieved
from external sources should always (?) have a validity checker before other
processing.

     FmyFile    IF   F  300        Disk
     FQsysPrt   O    F  132        Printer
     D myDS            DS
     D  field1                        3
     D  field2                        2S 0
     D  field3                        3S 0
     D  field4                        8P 0
     D  filler               300    300

     D recno           S             10U 0 Inz(*Zero)
     D dummy           S              9P 0

      /Free

       DoU %EOF(myFile) ;
          read myFile myDS ;
          If not %Eof(myFile) ;
             recNo += 1 ;
             monitor ;
                dummy = field4 + 1 ;
             On-error *All ;
                except errorRec ;
             EndMON ;
          EndIF ;
       EndDO ;
       *INLR = *ON ;
      /End-free
     OQSYSPRT   E            errorRec
     O                       recNo         1
     O                                          + 1 'Packed field is
invalid.'


Dennis Lovelady
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dennislovelady
--
It's great to be smart 'cause then you know stuff.