PACKED( ) function

Returns numeric data converted to the Packed data type.

Syntax

PACKED(number, length_of_result)

Parameters

Name Type Description
number

numeric

The numeric value or field to convert.

length_of_result numeric

The number of bytes to use in the output string.

Output

Numeric.

Examples

Basic examples

Integer and decimal input

Returns 00075C:

PACKED(75, 3)
PACKED(7.5, 3)

Truncated digits in output

Returns 00000012456D:

PACKED(-12.456, 6)

Returns 456D:

PACKED(-12.456, 2)

Advanced examples

Creating an 8-byte field to update a mainframe

You need to create an 8-byte field containing each employee's salary as a PACKED number for uploading to a mainframe:

EXTRACT PACKED(SALARY, 8) AS "Salary_Export" TO "export"

Remarks

What is Packed data?

The Packed data type is used by mainframe operating systems to store numeric values in a format that uses minimal storage space. The Packed data type stores two digits in each byte, and the last byte indicates whether the value is positive or negative.

When to use PACKED( )

Use the PACKED( ) function to convert numeric data to the Packed format for export to mainframe systems.

Truncated return values

If the length_of_result value is shorter than the length of the number value, the additional digits are truncated.

ACL Scripting Guide 14.1