Date:         Tue, 7 Oct 1997 20:42:52 +0100
Reply-To:     Roger Phillips <roger_phillips@BIGFOOT.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         Roger Phillips <roger_phillips@BIGFOOT.COM>
Organization: "Cable Internet (post doesn't reflect views of Cable Internet)"
Subject:      Re: NT 6.12 reading packed decimal from AS/400

I am sure that you must have solved your problem by now Dan, but just in
case you haven't, here are a few things to try:
 
1. Try the S370FPDw.d and S370FPDUw.d formats on the data.
2. If you are still unable to read the data, read the data as standard
characters ($w. format) and print it using $HEXy. (where y = 2*x) and repost
the results.
3. When you try to read the field as character and then convert it using an
INPUT statement, it is important that you DO NOT use $EBCDIC. to read the
data. This data is not EBCDIC, which is the encoding system used on IBM
mainframes for Character data only, and this data is numeric.
 
Roger Phillips
Nottingham, UK
 
>        I have an EBCDIC tape on which I have no trouble reading the text
>fields with the $EBCDICw. format. But the numeric fields are all
>described by the provider as being "packed numeric format." They are
>coming off an IBM AS/400. The provider did not know whether they were
>signed or unsigned, partly because they aren't any negative numbers so
>he hadn't thought about it.
>        I've tried reading them with PDw.d  and S379FPDw.d, and tried
reading
>in the fields with $EBCDIC and then using input to convert them, i.e.
>         vownownp=input(vtest1,PD5.2)
>        but that also errorred out.