Re: Subnovice question - Mailing list pgsql-novice

You're right in that you are a subnovice. This list does not have any
relationship to what you are asking except that it deals with a computer.
:)

Since I've been in this field almost 30 years I at least understand your
question, although I haven't worked with packed decimal for ages.

There must be a software package that both changes ASCII to EBCDIC and
also will put numbers in packed decimal format. I think you should be able
to find software on the web and talk to their sales or technical person.

If you can't find a package, then you could use a cobol programmer who
works on an IBM mainframe. It's simple to do this in Cobol, you just move
number in a regular numeric field to a number in comp-3 format and its
packed in one cobol command:

   MOVE X TO X-COMP3.

The algorithm for changing a numeric field to packed is pretty simple if
you don't have cobol on an IBM mainframe. I don't remember the exact rules
but it takes a programmer about 5 minutes to understand the rules.
Changing to packed decimal cuts down the space requirements by almost 50%.


> Calling myself a novice would be inflating my skills/knowledge.
>
> My situation and following question:
>
> I have a customer (a Human Resources Department) that requires a
> web-based system for the purposes of allowing employees to self-enroll
> in their employee benefits of choice.  This will not be a problem for
> us.  Where we will soon be stumped are the following additional
> requirements:
>
> #1  That after completion of the web-based enrollment, we provide the
> customer's IT department with an EBCIDC file (mixed data types) that
> must be packed/zoned for certain of the data fields, according to their
> specs.  An example would be EMPLOYEE_NMBR, packed, field length
> 9....0(precision), buffer length 5, buffer position 19.., etc.  After we
> deliver, their IT department will do their thing to update their system
> (AS400, DB2).  As near as I can understand, the customer's IT group is
> either too busy or too cranky to set up this "web-data collection" on
> their own.  Apparently there is a hornets nest of  intra-company
> politics  (HR vs IT).  I'd rather not be the one to kick the hive.
>
> #2  That we should expect 0 help from IT when it comes to this
> "packing/zoning" stuff.
>
> #3  That we leave JDBC/ODBC out of it.  IT has no interest.
>
> There are about 75 fields spread across 5 files, a few of which are CHAR
> and are not packed/zoned.
>
> We have located (but not purchased) commercial, desktop software that
> can get the data from ASCII to EBCIDC, but we are clueless on getting it
> packed/zoned correctly.  I'd rather not use a service if this particular
> wheel has already been invented.  We do NOT have access to a AS400/DB2
> system.
>
> I have a feeling this whole "packing" thing is left over from the old
> days and will probably save < 1 meg of space, but we do not have a
> choice.
>
> Any help..... clues.... suggestions?  Please use small words.  I'm the
> salesguy :•)
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mike
>
>
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