How to initalize the SQL VARCHAR field in Cobol.

ramfrom84 · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 93 Location: chennai

Hi All,

Problem:
While fetch the record with VARCHAR field from the table, the OLD value remains in the Host variable instead of moving spaces.

Ex:In the table.
Record 1
Field - XXXXX-DATA , length - 10 Value -AAAAAAAAAAA
Record 2
Field - XXXXX-DATA , length - 0 Value -Spaces

I tried initalize using below command while populating . But it is not working.

INITIALIZE XXXXX-DATA.

It moved Zero to the length field and spaces to the text field but while fetching the record host remains unchanged.

Succor · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:37 pm

Raman, when fetch operation successfully gets executed (i.e. SQLCODE Zero) the data from the table moves to the field XXXX_DATA as per your where clause definition (moreover it is a Not Null field, it should have some valid data).

There can be two possibilities I can think of right now.
Either you are not using the correct variable while fetching or your interpretation of data coming to that field from the table is not correct (i.e. the DB2 is sending the correct data as per the where clause defined but you are expecting something different).

bipinpeter · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:41 pm

Hi ramfrom84,
For initializing 'Move low-values to field

ramfrom84 · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 93 Location: chennai

Hi,
All the Db2 fields are correctly populated. if it incorrect then how can i see my old values ? and also i verify record in table .

It is Db2 table,How can i move LOW values when we Insert the record to the table ?

Thanks
Raman

Succor · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:57 pm

Raman, I believe we are mixing two things over here. Your earlier post talks about the FETCH operation and the new one about the INSERT.

I never doubted on the data present in Db2.Please provide your DECALRE and FTECH queries. Is the data for the field XXXX_DATA remains static for all the Fetch instances? Are you putting displays to view the field values just after the Fetch ?

I reckon bipinpeter pointed put a way to initialize and prepare field XXXX_DATA for the FETCH opreation.You can move spaces to variable before inserting the same in the table.

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 6:26 pm

Often I wonder why people are sooooo stupid as to initialize fields prior to population by a service CALL (in this case DB2).

If the return code from the service indicates success, then check the null inidicator first to see if non-NULL data was transfered, then check the variable length inidicator of the varchar to see if there is any data.

bad return code - no data
null ind = -1, no data
49-level data-len = 0, no data

if you need to know the value of the previously FETCHed row,
maintain a previous-column-value.

what is your problem?

ramfrom84 · New User Joined: 23 Aug 2006 Posts: 93 Location: chennai

Hi,
Read the first post which it my correct question , intermediate post answering to the previous post question.

I have trace the whole fetch statement, we are getting null ind as zero but no value in the variable.

My question is simple, How to initalize the VARCHAR sql field in COBOL.

Bye,,

Terry Heinze · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:05 pm

You are initializing the variable correctly, but as previously stated, there is no need to since the fetch will populate the variable anyway either with a value or with the null indicator set on.

dick scherrer · Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:31 pm

Hello,

If i understand, DB2 will probably not be changed to do what you want. . .

Suggest you make sure that DB2 actually returned something before the code tries to use it (as DBZ mentioned). . .

jctgf · Active User Joined: 04 Nov 2006 Posts: 109

could you please post the piece of code that reads the db2 table?

santy · New User Joined: 19 Jul 2007 Posts: 22 Location: mumbai

Hi Ram,

As oer my suggestion, you have to initialise the you variable before doing the fetch operation wo that you can get the value which u moved from DB2.