Lisa,
I'll assume the mainframe application is Cobol or some derivative.
Are the original file descriptors available to you? If so they should
hold some real clues whether it is a good idea to null out the fields
that are all zeroes. If the field is really a number and meant to be
used in a calculation, I'd generally leave it as a zero. On the other
hand, if the field is described by a list of values for some sort of
status, and zero is not listed as a valid code, then I'd null it in a
heartbeat.
For example, I would not null this field:
* SERVICE QUANTITY PASSED BY CLIENT APPLICATION V1.00
* SHOULD BE MINUTES FOR ANESTHESIA V1.00
*
03 CLHC-DET-SERV-QTY PIC 9(4).
On the other hand I would certainly null this one:
*
* OVERALL DISPOSITION OF A CLAIM RETURNED BY IMPULSE
*
02 RT-DISPOSITION-CODE PIC 9.
88 RT-DISP-REPRICED VALUE '1'.
88 RT-DISP-NON-REPRICED VALUE '2'.
88 RT-DISP-PENDING VALUE '3'.
88 RT-DISP-ADJUSTED VALUE '4'.
88 RT-DISP-BACK-OUT VALUE '5'.
88 RT-DISP-RE-REPRICE VALUE '6'.
88 RT-DISP-PEND-TIMEOUT VALUE '7'.
-rje
LK> The EBCDIC->>ASCII conversion is handled on the mainframe for me. I am sorry
LK> I don't know much about the mainframe environment here, I want to say it's
LK> VSAM, there definately is no database. It is so old, it's the type of
LK> mainframe where everything is on TAPE.
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Author: Robert Eskridge
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