Date:         Fri, 8 Sep 2000 19:31:37 GMT
Reply-To:     sashole@mediaone.net
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Paul Dorfman <paul_dorfman@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: COBOL Layouts
Comments: To: Kim_LeBouton@TOYOTA.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Kim LeBouton <Kim_LeBouton@TOYOTA.COM> wrote:

>I was given an incomplete COBOL layout that isn't working when I use >the
>SAS utility to create a SAS INPUT statement.  Thus, I've >resorted to
>writing my own (sigh!!!).
>
>I was given the following:
>
>10 INTSLS-VSA-USE  PIC S9(5)V USAGE COMP-3.
>
>I was told by a COBOL person who also knows SAS that I should use >PD5.0.
>This didn't work--lots of warning messages in my SAS log, and >no values
>reported for this field.  Since I know this field >shouldn't be empty, I
>thought I'd try PD3.0 after reading the SAS >On-line Documentation.

Kim,

An excellent hunch! PD3. it is. The Cobol picture says simply: it is
packed-decimal (comp-3), therefore measure things in half-bytes. Reserve 5
half-bytes for the digits and 1 half-byte for the sign (C for plus, D for
minus). If the total number of half-bytes (including the sign!) is even,
then fine, the w-value in the PD informat is that number divided by 2.
(Which is the case here where we have 6 half-bytes). If the number is odd,
then add 1 and then divide by 2. The sign is always in the lowest nibble
(rightmost bottom), so in the case the number of half-bytes is odd, the
first nibble (leftmost top) remains empty. In hex notation, a packed-decimal
number is hence read top-to-bottom, left-to-right. For example, +123456789
will be stored as (hex)

13579
2468C

whereas -12345678 will be stored as

02468
1357D

>What I'm hoping is that somebody can verify that I'm correctly using >this
>informat.  If I use the ISPF editor, and type HEX, the field >looks like
>this.
>
>005
>00C
>
>When using informat PD5.0, I get a missing variable.  When I use >PD3.0, I
>get numeric value of 5 in my SAS dataset.  If I have chosen >the right
>informat, is it the COMP-3 in the COBOL layout that would >drive me to use
>PD3.0?

From the above, it should be clear that both assertions are true. You can
plainly see that your hex number does represent +5.

>I hope this note makes sense.

Absolutely!

>Every time I venture into COBOL, nothing makes sense.

Some things do, but just a little. If you possess of no entertaining reading
at the moment, submit your statement to comp.lang.cobol and watch the
response :-).

>(As you can probably guess, I'm working in MVS land.)

"Land that I love".

Kind regards,
========================
Paul M. Dorfman
Jacksonville, Fl
========================
_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at
http://profiles.msn.com.