NUMERIC directive

The NUMERIC directive allows you to treat a data item as an unsigned integer when it is declared as alphanumeric. You might use this when the data stored in the item is always numeric.

Syntax

$XFD NUMERIC

Example

The PATIENT-ID field (now appearing in the database table as the PATIENT column) is defined in the source code as being a text field. Since this field will always contain a number, you may want to define it in the database table as numeric. (Note the use of two directives for the same data item here.)

       FILE SECTION.
       FD  jr-file.
      $XFD COMMENT  This sample file demonstrates directives.
       01  jr-record.
           03  animal-info.
      $XFD NAME=PATIENT, NUMERIC 
               05  patient-id                  pic x(5).
               05  atype                       pic x.
               05  ctype redefines atype       pic x.
               05  dtype redefines atype       pic x.
               05  otype redefines atype       pic x.
           03  owner-info.
               05  phone                       pic x(8).
               05  owner                       pic x(30). 
           03  financial.
               05  acct_no.
                   10  year                    pic x(2).
                   10  seq_no                  pic x(4).
      $XFD DATE=YYYYMMDD, USE GROUP 
               05  last_visit.
                   10  yyyy                    pic 9(4).
                   10  mm                      pic 9(2).
                   10  dd                      pic 9(2).
      $XFD HIDDEN
               05  fee                         pic s9(5)v99.

The following table is the result, and, in the database, PATIENT is now of type NUMBER.