Need the detail about ZD and BI format in SORT

saurabh7878 · New User Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 16

hi all
I have the following sorting condition in my code
SORT FIELDS=(55,20,CH,A,34,8,ZD,A,25,8,BI,A)

can somebody tell me more about the ZD and BI format.......I try to google it but no help...

Thank in advance
Saurabh

William Thompson · Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:21 pm

CH is character, ZD is zoned decimal and BI is binary.

saurabh7878 · New User Joined: 02 Jun 2005 Posts: 16

Hi williams
Thanks for the info but i need more detail about this BI and ZD that in which specific scenario it is used.....
We are converting this sort jCL into Unix and i need to find out the corresponding Unix formats

William Thompson · Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:53 pm

the sort sequence for character data is cut and dried straight low value to high value.

Zoned decimal is sequenced numericaly with attention paid to the sigh.

Binary is (if I recall correctly) sequenced numerically with attention paid to the sign.

a ZD -5 is smaller than a +5 but C5 is smaller that D5. The same goes for binary numbers, a x'FB' is -5 and x'05' is +5.

Frank Yaeger · Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:21 pm

BI and CH are unsigned bits (e.g. X'00'-X'FF'). Both collate according to the EBCDIC collating sequence (e.g. 'A' = X'C1' before '0' = X'F0').

ZD is signed zoned decimal in the form X'FdFd...sd' where d is a digit (0-9) and s is the sign (usually C or F for plus and D for minus). ZD collates as signed numbers (e.g. -123 before +123).

I can't help you with the "corresponding UNIX" formats.

For more information on DFSORT's formats, see:

publibz.boulder.ibm.com/cgi-bin/bookmgr_OS390/BOOKS/ICE1CA20/C.1?DT=20060615185603