Adding a new memory variable
Choose File>New.
The New Memory Variables window displays. There are two tab pages: Fields and Options.
Enter the following information on the Fields Tab:
Memory Variable Name – the name of the new memory variable you are creating. Although the only explicit naming rule is that there can be no imbedded blanks in the name, memory variables are generally easier to use in mapping if they have a descriptive name. For example, the name could reflect the kind of data being stored, such as ext_price or temp_name. Or the name could be the name of a related field with a prefix, such as mv_partno.
Memory Variable Description – a brief textual description of the memory variable.
Field Type – the type of data in the memory variable. Choose from the drop-down list of the data types. Depending on the data type selected, additional text boxes display.
Field type |
Description |
|---|---|
AN |
Alphanumeric – Field whose characters are comprised of the letters A – Z, numbers 0-9, and special characters (-/,). (ex. ABC12-3D) |
CD |
Computational (reserved for future use) |
DE |
Decimal Explicit – Numeric field containing an actual decimal point (ex. 123.45) In the No. Decimals text box, enter the number of places to the right of the actual decimal point.
|
DI |
Decimal Implicit – Numeric field with the position of an implied decimal point defined by the number of characters to the right of the decimal point. (ex. 12345 with 3 decimal places = 12.345) In the No. Decimals text box, enter the number of places to the right of the implied (not actual) decimal point.Tip: Memory variables defined as DI are stored in the memory variable with leading zeroes and no decimal places. Mappers use this feature to map directly from a memory variable to EDI when they need a zero-filled number.
|
DT |
Date – Numeric field containing the date in a specified format. |
DF |
Date Format – choose from the following entries in the drop-down list (where YY are the last 2 digits of the year, YYYY are all 4 digits of the year, MM is the month expressed as a 2-digit number, MON is the 3-alpha abbreviation for the month name, and DD is the 2-digit day of the month):
Century Minimum Type – defines the manner in which 2-digit years in specified date fields are handled. Select one of the following three choices from the drop-down list: Use global century minimum – use value specified when map was defined to change all 2-digit years to 4-digit years. (All years prior to global century year are treated as next century. All years including and after global century year are treated as current century.) Use field century minimum – specify a year to be used as global century year (overriding the value specified when map was defined) to change all 2-digit years to 4-digit years. An additional text box appears. Enter year you want to use as global century year for this date field in the Field Century Minimum text box that appears. The Field Century Minimum is a numeric value between 0 and 99 used to determine the century when translating a 2-digit year to a 4-digit year. Every 2-digit year less than or equal to this value is assumed to have a century of 20 and every 2-digit year greater than this value is assumed to have a century of 19. Enter the numeric value in the text box. No century minimum – specify that no century type logic is to be used. (2-digit years are not converted to 4-digit years.) |
TM |
Time – Numeric field containing time in 24-hour format (ex., 9 pm = 2100) |
PD |
Packed Decimal (reserved for future use) |
R |
Real Number – Numeric field that allows for a floating decimal |
SD |
Signed Decimal – Decimal field with the last character corresponding to an overpunch field (for COBOL- based systems) In the No. Decimals text box, enter the number of places to the right of the implied decimal point. |
SI |
Signed Integer – Numeric field including a plus or minus sign (ex. -123) |
UI |
Unsigned Integer – Numeric field without a plus or minus sign (ex. 123) |
The Field Length – the length of the memory variable.
Enter the following on the Options tab:
Select the Justification of the memory variable from the drop-down list:
Type |
Definition |
Description |
|---|---|---|
L |
Left-justified |
Data begins in the left-most column |
R |
Right-justified |
Data ends in the right-most column |
N |
No justification |
The program uses default justification |
The default for characters is left-justification, and the default for numbers is right-justification.
Today’s Date +/- n Days – select this attribute if the memory variable is a calculated date based on today’s date. This date is derived from the system time. If you select this attribute, an additional text box displays following Today’s Date +/- n Days. Enter the value for the number of days to be added to or subtracted from today’s date. The limit for the number of days is between -999 to +999 (-999 to 9999 if you do not include the plus sign).
Fixed String attribute – check if the memory variable is a fixed string, or constant. If you select this attribute, an additional text box displays following Fixed String. Enter a character string in the text box.
To get rid of the decimal point (explicit or implicit)
in a rule, multiply the memory variable by 10 raised to the power
of the number of decimal places. For example, if there are 3 decimal places,
multiply the memory variable by 1000.