Data Definition Language (DDL) Reference Manual (G06.24+)

Definition Attributes
Data Definition Language (DDL) Reference Manual—426798-002
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VALUE Clause
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An initial value must be compatible with the data type of the field or group for which
it is declared.
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An initial value declared at the group level must be alphanumeric.
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A numeric value must be in the range of values specified by the receiving
PICTURE string.
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If used with MUST BE, an initial value must be in the range of values specified by
the MUST BE string.
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If a field is described as signed (the PICTURE clause includes the symbol S), you
can include a sign in the numeric value. The sign must be leading in all cases,
regardless of whether the PICTURE clause specifies a leading or trailing sign. An
initial value cannot be:
°
Used with a REDEFINES or OCCURS entry
°
Composed of a null character string ("")
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The only figurative constant that can be used to assign a value to a numeric data
type is ZERO (or ZEROS or ZEROES).
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A field can have both a VALUE clause and an UPSHIFT clause. If these clauses
are used together, you must specify any alphabetic characters in the VALUE
clause as uppercase.
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If an initial value is specified at a group level, no other initial value can be specified
within the group.
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If a DEFINITION statement that includes an initial value is referenced by a
statement that also includes an initial value, the DDL compiler overrides the
referenced value with the value in the referring statement.
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When you specify a constant name in a VALUE clause, the constant value must be
a valid value for the data item and of the same type. A numeric constant can be
used only with numeric-type data items, a string constant can be used only with
character-type data items, and a national literal can be used only with national
data items.
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If you specify an initial value for a national data item, the value must be a national
literal or one of the following figurative constants:
LOW-VALUE[S}
HIGH-VALUE[S]
QUOTE[S]
SPACE[S]
ZERO[[E]S]
ALL literal
The length of the national literal must agree with the length specified in the
PICTURE clause for the national data item.