Comp-3 conversion problem

pkl · Post by **pkl** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 5:08 pm

Hi,

I want to convert a pic s9(9)v99 Comp-3 field

I am FTP ing the file from mainframes.

I searched the forum for any possible ideas but didn't help me much.

Can anyone throw some light on this conversion issue.

Thanx

chucksmith · Post by **chucksmith** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 5:51 pm

ftp the file in binary mode to create a sequential file on your DataStage server, then use the CFF (complex flat file) stage to read the file.

pkl · Post by **pkl** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 9:34 pm

Hi ChuckSmith,

Thanx for the reply. I do not have CFF installed. Is there any other way?

Thanx for advance

pkl · Post by **pkl** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:25 am

Can anyone please help me on this. It's urgent

Thanks

chulett · Post by **chulett** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:50 am

If you have access to Ascential Support, they'd be your best bet for "urgent" issues.

Try defining your input field as a CHAR(6) and then using the DataTypePicComp3 sdk routine.

crouse · Post by **crouse** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:51 am

PKL,

Chuck Smith indicates the best way to do the conversion, uning the CFF stage.

Short of that, try the routine "DataTypePicComp3" in the SDK category.

Make sure the FTP from the mainframe was in binary mode to begin with, or the COMP-3 data will not be usable.

-Craig

pkl · Post by **pkl** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:11 am

Hi,
I did both of them, still no luck.
I am doing:
DataTypePicComp3V99(DSLink3.InputColumn)

The result isn't right.

Thanks

chulett · Post by **chulett** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:15 am

How is it defined in your input file? Are you sure that a binary ftp was used to bring the data to your server? You also can't do any kind of automatic EBCDIC to ASCII conversions during the FTP process as it destroys packed fields.

ogmios · Post by **ogmios** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:17 am

A quick check, ftp the file back to the mainframe as see whether you still have the 'original data' in the file.

I stopped doing EBCDIC conversions in DataStage a long time ago. My experience is that unpacking/conversion/stripping of high- and low characters is much easier to code on the mainframe.

Ogmios

pkl · Post by **pkl** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:21 am

Hi Craig,

While doing the ftp I specified it to be in binary representation. I thought that should be enough. Is there anythign else I need to check for?

Thanks

shawn_ramsey · Post by **shawn_ramsey** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:38 am

pkl wrote:Hi Craig,

While doing the ftp I specified it to be in binary representation. I thought that should be enough. Is there anythign else I need to check for?

Thanks

Are you really stuck on using the FTP stage? If not I would just set a script up to binary ftp the files to the DataStage server then use the complex flat file stage to convert the data. We are doing this for files that we get from the AS/400 and it works great and it sure beats having to do all the conversions in the transformer.

chulett · Post by **chulett** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:46 am

I don't see anywhere that the OP mentioned the FTP stage.

As noted, the best answer is to do a binary FTP and then let the CFF stage do all of the dirty work. If you don't have it installed, why not take the time to do so? Rerun the server install and it should let you simply install any optional plugins you missed the first time.

pkl · Post by **pkl** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:48 am

Hi,
Thanks all for your help. I'll install CFF and see if that helps.

Thanks once again

crouse · Post by **crouse** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 1:09 pm

PKL,

If you are trying to convert the file from the mainframe "by hand" you've probably run into a very nasty problem, because I did several times before the CFF stage was available from Ascential.

If you have several packed fields (COMP-3, COMP, etc) mingled with non-packed fields (PIC X, PIC 9, etc) in your data, you're doomed to fail if you don't understand HOW the data is packed. Packed means packed. A 12 digit numeric field that is packed does not take up 12 bytes. It may take up 6 or 7 depending on HOW it is packed.

If you mess up this calculation of offset, EVERY OTHER OFFSET OF FIELDS IN THE ROW IS MESSED UP, and you'll never convert the data correctly.

Unless you're intimately familiar with EBCDIC and packed data and packing algorithms, use the CFF stage.

Otherwise, buckle up and get ready to spend a lot of time getting lost in the data. While you're at it, dust off you're resume.

shawn_ramsey · Post by **shawn_ramsey** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 2:10 pm

chulett wrote:I don't see anywhere that the OP mentioned the FTP stage.

Sorry I assumed.