How to Convert COMP3 to Readable Format in Cobol

If you’re looking to convert COMP3 files to readable format in Cobol, you may be wondering how to do this. COBOL uses the COMP3 standard, which implements the data format. The format is vendor specific but is universal across platforms. COMP3 fields store data in BCD (binary coded decimal), so the value after the least significant digit is always a sign.

The number of bytes and bits stored for a field depends on the number of digits you’d like to store. Usually, 8 bits can store an unsigned value from 0 to 255 and a signed value from -128 to +127. For instance, if you want to store a PIC value of 999, you’ll need 2 bytes.

RM/COBOL represents COMP-3 data as packed decimal. The least significant half-byte is the sign. Basically, the COMP-3 system represents data in packed decimal format. For example, if a COMP-3 item is nine digits, it will be represented as S9(04) bytes. For a sign, the least significant half-byte is equal to nine, S9(04), and three bytes.

To convert COMP-3 to ASCII, you must first convert the data. In COBOL, this is the default numeric structure. You can also use edit-mask to convert the data to another format, but a better option is to convert it manually. However, if you’re looking to convert a data string to a readable format, you’ll need to use the “use IS COMP-3” clause to explicitly define the data format.