Insufficient Field Lengths

When you sum the values of a numeric field and the resulting amount is too large to display, FOCUS will display the value as asterisks (*****). This may occur if you are summing data for a large span of time, if you are reporting on systemwide data, or even if you are reporting for a large campus.

In the example below, the designated format for gross pay (PH:GROSSPAY) is P12.2M. Translation: Packed decimal, 12 characters in length, displayed with 2 decimal places and a floating dollar sign. To view the format for a given field, refer to the CIRS Data Element Dictionary.

Report Request:

Results:

EX PH

TABLE FILE PH

SUM PH:GROSSPAY

END

PH:GROSSPAY

-----------

*********

If the field to be increased is part of the verb phrase, you can change the length simply by specifying a new format immediately after the fieldname. In the example below, the length is changed from 12 to 16. Note: To change the length of a sort field, you must use a define. Refer to your FOCUS documentation for more information.

Report Request:

Results:

EX PH

TABLE FILE PH

SUM PH:GROSSPAY/p16.2m

END

PH:GROSSPAY

-----------

$210,715,126.43

Warning! When you create hold files, be sure to verify the results before using the hold file as part of a match request. Otherwise, if your field lengths are not sufficient, the resulting data will be erroneous and FOCUS may NOT display an error message. For example:

Report Request:

Results:

EX PH

TABLE FILE PH

SUM PH:GROSSPAY

ON TABLE HOLD AS PERMRPT

END

Number of records in table = 79159

HOLDING...

To quickly verify the data in your hold file, execute a request that uses a wildcard. For example:

Report Request:

Results:

TABLE FILE PERMRPT

PRINT *

END

PH:GROSSPAY

-----------

********

For more information on changing the length of fields, refer to your FOCUS documentation or to the material in the Basic CIRS Workbook.