Can DataStage routines write binary files?

jonathanhale · Post by **jonathanhale** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:26 am

e.g. is there an OPENBIN (or similiar)

how could the below be converted to write an EBCIDIC file?

OPENSEQ seqFile TO FILE THEN NOBUF FILE
ELSE CREATE FILE THEN NOBUF FILE
ELSE STOP
WRITESEQF Ans TO FILE

chulett · Post by **chulett** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:30 am

What do you mean by 'binary' in this context? And you don't need to convert anything there, simply send it EBCDIC data to write.

chulett · Post by **chulett** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 10:43 am

Actually, AFAIK you *should* be able to 'just send it' but honestly never had a need to try. Do you have NLS enabled?

Also, what are you using to view the file after it is created?

kduke · Post by **kduke** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:22 am

If you are in UNIX then dd and other commands can convert from ASCII to EBCIDIC. Just write your normal file out then convert later.

chulett · Post by **chulett** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:34 am

That's true... if you are producing this for consumption elsewhere (like a mainframe) then you may be able to write it out as normal ASCII and then have the transfer mechanism do the EBCDIC conversion. May be complicated if you have any packed fields, however.

ray.wurlod · Post by **ray.wurlod** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 12:29 pm

There's no OPENBIN, you just use OPENSEQ as normal but you write blocks of bytes using WRITEBLK rather than writing lines using WRITESEQ. You still need to close the file using CLOSESEQ.

chulett · Post by **chulett** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 12:32 pm

AHA! There's the secret.

jonathanhale · Post by **jonathanhale** » Fri Feb 20, 2009 1:13 pm

Many thanks to all for the replies. I like Ray's idea best

. I really don't want the o/s to have to tidy up something that datastage can't do. I'm not back on that site for a few days, but I'll update again after I've tested it.

jonathanhale · Post by **jonathanhale** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:07 am

Sadly, the WRITEBLK seems to have no effect.

Here the Routine Code (can someone spot a foolish error?):

vFilePath = FilePath
vFileName = FileName
Ans = Ebcdic(FileContent)

*Content of the file
seqFile = vFilePath:'/':vFileName
OPENSEQ seqFile TO FILE THEN NOBUF FILE
ELSE CREATE FILE THEN NOBUF FILE
ELSE STOP
WRITEBLK Ans TO FILE
ELSE STOP

I have tried passing Ebcdic value in the FileContent variable, and passing Ascii in FileContent and then converting (as above). (Because something in the back of my mind said you can only pass Ascii to routines?)

Both approaches result in (what I think is) an Acsii attempt to write the Ebcdic:

%z??z???????????????
%z??z???????????????
%z??z?@?@?

The same output as with WRITESEQF.

The Server Job Folder Stage with no NLS and writing the BLOB as LongVarBinary is the only mechanism I can get to work (produce the Ebcdic output fast enough) in this environment.