DB2 ZOS String Comparison Problem

Question

I am comparing some CHAR data in a where clause in my sql like this,

where PRI_CODE < PriCode

The problem I am having is when the CHAR values are of different lengths. So if PRI_CODE = '0800' and PriCode = '20' it is returning true instead of false.

It looks like it is comparing it like this

'08' < '20' 

instead of like

'0800' < '20'

Does a CHAR comparison start from the Left until one or the other values end?

If so how do I fix this?

My values can have letters in it so convering to numeric is not an option.

Answer 1

It's not comparing '08' with '20', it is, as you expect, comparing '0800' with '20'.

What you don't seem to expect, however, is that '0800' (the string) is indeed less than '20' (the string).

If converting it to numerics for a numeric comparison is out of the question, you could use the following DB2 function:

right ('0000000000'||val,10)

which will give you val padded on the left with zeroes to a size of 10 (ideal for a CHAR(10), for example). That will at least guarantee that the fields are the same size and the comparison will work for your particular case. But I urge you to rethink how you're doing things: per-row functions rarely scale well, performance-wise.

If you're using z/OS, you should have a few DBAs just lying around on the computer room floor waiting for work - you can probably ask one of them for advice more tailored to your specific application :-)

One thing that comes to mind in the use of an insert/update trigger and secondary column PRI_CODE_PADDED to hold the PRI_CODE column fully padded out (using the same method as above). Then make sure your PriCode variable is similarly formatted before executing the select ... where PR_CODE_PADDED < PriCode.

Incurring that cost at insert/update time will amortise it over all the selects you're likely to do (which, because they're no longer using per-row functions, will be blindingly fast), giving you better overall performance (assuming your database isn't one of those incredibly rare beasts that are written more than read, of course).