COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs (H06.08+, J06.03+)

suppression symbol is Z, the entire data item is set to spaces. If the value is 0 and the
suppression symbol is the asterisk, the data item is set to all asterisks except for the actual
decimal point. In this case, the actual decimal point appears in the data item.
Only one of the symbols plus (+), minus (-), asterisk (*), Z, and the currency symbol can
be used as a floating replacement character within a single PICTURE character-string.
NOTE: The caret (^) in the source item is the decimal point from its PICTURE
character-string.
Here are some examples of suppression editing:
Edited ResultPICTURESource Item
$123,456.00$ZZZ,ZZZ.99123456
$ 1,234.56$ZZZ,ZZZ.991234^56
8 spacesZ,ZZZ.ZZ0
$*****12.34$***,***.9912^34
$*******.00$***,***.990
$*******.**$***,***.**0
USAGE Clause
The USAGE clause determines how a data item is stored in the system (its format), and usually,
the number of character positions the data item uses.
BINARY, COMPUTATIONAL, COMP
describe a two’s complement binary integer with an implied decimal point.
COMPUTATIONAL-3, COMP-3, PACKED-DECIMAL
describe a numeric data item in radix 10, but with each digit of the value stored in half a
computer character (4 bits, called a nibble). The sign is stored in a separate, trailing nibble;
that is, at the right-hand (least significant) end of the data item. Any unused nibbles are on the
Descriptions of Records (Levels 01-49) 203