Binary or COMP Format, a Description and Discussion. Binary or COMP Format. Description and Discussion. This document provides an overview description and discussion of content and size of binary or COMP fields as they are implemented on an IBM Mainframe System or a Micro Focus environment implemented on a Linux, UNIX or Windows System. Note The items in this document are appropriate for applications that are written in COBOL, Mainframe Assembler HLASM or PLI. The IBM Mainframe architecture drove many of the numeric formats that existed in the early ANSI specifications for COBOL and have been carried forward to the current COBOL ANSI specifications. The following table shows the structure of a three digit numeric field using the Binary format that is used on an IBM Mainframe System. The COBOL syntax would be USAGE IS COMPUTATIONAL. The field contains a value of one hundred twenty three or 1. Since the binary format stores the number as an actual binary value the field will only be two 2 bytes in length. Bit OFF, Do not add 3. Refer to Notes 1 and 20. Bit OFF, Do not add 1. Bit OFF, Do not add 8,1. Bit OFF, Do not add 4,0. Bit OFF, Do not add 2,0. Bit OFF, Do not add 1,0. Bit OFF, Do not add 5. Bit OFF, Do not add 2. Bit OFF, Do not add 1. Bit OFF, Do not add 421. Decimal Total. 00. Bx0. 07. BHexadecimal Total. A binary field that is defined as Unsigned i. Software Cobol 64 Bit' title='Software Cobol 64 Bit' />PIC 9. A two 2 byte unsigned, binary field may contain a range of implied positive values from 0 to 6. A binary field that is defined as Signed i. PIC S9. 99 will use the high order, leftmost bit as the sign. A zero 0 is a positive sign and a one 1 is a negative sign. This is a data description and discussion about the format and size of Binary or COMP i. USAGE IS COMPUTATIONAL fields used on an IBM mainframe or in a Micro. Most articles about COBOL imply that the language is obsolete, companies using it are foolish, and its hard for young people to learn. But these may be gross. Creating_the_64-bit_configuration/image4.png' alt='Software Cobol 64 Bit' title='Software Cobol 64 Bit' />A two 2 byte signed, binary field may contain a range of values from 3. The BINARY Format for a Numeric Field. We have made a significant effort to ensure the documents and software technologies are correct and accurate. Oracle Database. Quick Installation Guide. Release 1 12. 1 for Oracle Solaris on SPARC 64Bit E5510006. July 2017. This guide describes how to quickly. COBOL k o b l, an acronym for common businessoriented language is a compiled Englishlike computer programming language designed for business use. We reserve the right to make changes without notice at any time. The function delivered in this version is based upon the enhancement requests from a specific group of users. The intent is to provide changes as the need arises and in a timeframe that is dependent upon the availability of resources. Copyright 1. 98. Simo. Time Technologies and Services. All Rights Reserved. Bizhub C451 Firmware. The creation and processing of COMP or BINARY data on a Windows or UNIX platform must be done in the same manner as the mainframe. On the mainframe COMP or BINARY fields must be 2, 4, or 8 bytes in length the mainframe was originally a half word, full word and double word centric system. On Linux, UNIX or Windows using Micro Focus COBOL with Net Express or Server Express the COMP or BINARY fields may be 1 through 8 bytes in length. Note The syntax for COBOL is USAGE IS COMPUTATIONAL. However, this is usually abbreviated to COMP or may be coded as BINARY. Notice the following, the record layout for the Item Master File contains two 2 COMP or BINARY fields. These fields are defined as PIC 97 and may contain values from zero 0 through 9,9. F which may be contained in a three 3 byte binary field. Herein is the problem, on the EBCDIC encoded, half word, full word, double word, mainframe environment the fields would be allocated with an actual length of four 4 bytes for a binary field. For the Micro Focus, ASCII encoded, byte oriented environment the fields would be allocated with an actual length of three 3 bytes for a binary field. ITEM RECORD. 0. 5 ITEM NUMBER PIC X1. ITEM DATA. 1. 0 ITEM DESCRIPTION PIC X4. ITEM QTY ONHAND PIC 97 COMP. ITEM QTY ALLOCATED PIC 97 COMP. ITEM UNIT OF MEASURE PIC X1. ITEM COST PIC S97V92 COMP 3. ITEM PRICE PIC S97V92 COMP 3. ITEM LADATE PIC X8. ITEM LATIME PIC X8. ITEM TOKEN PIC X3. ITEM D CODE 1 PIC X. ITEM D PERCENT 1 PIC S93V94. ITEM D CODE 2 PIC X. ITEM D PERCENT 2 PIC S93V94. ITEM D CODE 3 PIC X. ITEM D PERCENT 3 PIC S93V94. FILLER PIC X3. The solution to this problem for the Micro Focus environment is to use the IBMCOMP and NOTRUNC directives when compiling the programs. This will enforce the mainframe rules for COMP or BINARY fields and the field lengths will be the same as the mainframe. An alternative solution is to modify the copy file and change the PIC 97 to PIC 99. However, this solution requires a source code change and is not recommended during the first phase of a data migration. The following table shows the COBOL picture clause, the number of digits, the length of a packed field, the length of a binary COMP field for an IBM Mainframe and the length of a binary field for the Linux, UNIX and Windows LUW environments running Micro Focus COBOL. The differences in field or data string length are high lighted in RED. COBOLPicture Clause. Numberof Digits. Length. Packed. Length. Binary IBMLength. Binary Micro FocusPIC 9. PIC 9. 92. 22. 1PIC 9. PIC 944. 32. 2PIC 955. PIC 966. 44. 3PIC 977. PIC 988. 54. 4PIC 999. PIC 91. 01. 06. PIC 91. PIC 91. 21. 27. PIC 91. Blackberry 9800 Desktop Manager Software more. PIC 91. 41. 48. PIC 91. PIC 91. 61. 69. PIC 91. PIC 91. 81. 81. It is important to note that Micro Focus Mainframe Express supports the mainframe format for binary or COMP fields. This is accomplished by pre setting the compiler directives to force this behavior. The compiler directives are IBMCOMP and NOTRUNC. These directives may also be used with Net Express and must be configured manually since the default for Net Express is to allow binary fields to be any length. Information is usually process by executing programs that were created using a program language that separates the userprogrammer from the underlying hardware structure. However, this separation is not one hundred percent. Therefore, some level of awareness or understanding of the hardware may be required. The hardware techniques used to define, process, save and retrieve numeric values is typically an area where some level of understanding is required. First, lets review how units of information are structured in a typical computer system. A bit is a unit of information. A bit may be in an OFF or ON condition that is traditionally referred to as 0 or 1. Four 4 bits make a nybble and eight bits or 2 nybbles make a byte. Note  The term nibble is commonly used but the original spelling was nybble. Next, lets review how units of information are stored in memory and processed by the system. In order to understand the concept of Big and Little Endian we need to understand memory typically referred to as RAM or Random Access Memory. We may think of RAM as one large array with many one byte elements. An Index is typically used to access a specific element within an array. An Address is typically used to access a specific location within RAM or memory. Note  For this discussion we are using a RAM architecture that stores one byte in each RAM location. There are some RAM architectures where each memory location stores something besides a byte. However, these are rare so we will limit this discussion to RAM architectures that are byte oriented. An IBM Mainframe System has the hardware capability of performing arithmetic tasks using a variety of different formats. Since we are currently focused on a discussion of Big and Little Endian formats we will limit this discussion to 3. For COBOL programmers this would be USAGE IS COMPUTATIONAL.