4.6.4.3 Legacy Numeric Formats

The N and Z numeric formats provide compatibility with legacy file formats. They have much in common:

• Output is rounded to the nearest representable value, with ties rounded away from zero.
• Numbers too large to display are output as a field filled with asterisks (`*').
• The decimal point is always implicitly the specified number of digits from the right edge of the field, except that Z format input allows an explicit decimal point.
• Scientific notation may not be used.
• The system-missing value is output as a period in a field of spaces. The period is placed just to the right of the implied decimal point in Z format, or at the right end in N format or in Z format if no decimal places are requested. A period is used even if the decimal point character is a comma.
• Field width may range from 1 to 40. Decimal places may range from 0 up to the field width, to a maximum of 16.
• When a legacy numeric format used for input is converted to an output format, it is changed into the equivalent F format. The field width is increased by 1 if any decimal places are specified, to make room for a decimal point. For Z format, the field width is increased by 1 more column, to make room for a negative sign. The output field width is capped at 40 columns.

N Format

The N format supports input and output of fields that contain only digits. On input, leading or trailing spaces, a decimal point, or any other non-digit character causes the field to be read as the system-missing value. As a special exception, an N format used on DATA LIST FREE or DATA LIST LIST is treated as the equivalent F format.

On output, N pads the field on the left with zeros. Negative numbers are output like the system-missing value.

Z Format

The Z format is a “zoned decimal” format used on IBM mainframes. Z format encodes the sign as part of the final digit, which must be one of the following:

     0123456789
     {ABCDEFGHI
     }JKLMNOPQR

where the characters in each row represent digits 0 through 9 in order. Characters in the first two rows indicate a positive sign; those in the third indicate a negative sign.

On output, Z fields are padded on the left with spaces. On input, leading and trailing spaces are ignored. Any character in an input field other than spaces, the digit characters above, and `.' causes the field to be read as system-missing.

The decimal point character for input and output is always `.', even if the decimal point character is a comma (see SET DECIMAL).

Nonzero, negative values output in Z format are marked as negative even when no nonzero digits are output. For example, -0.2 is output in Z1.0 format as `J'. The “negative zero” value supported by most machines is output as positive.