Errors When Transferring Data from BIFF Files

When you transfer data from a BIFF file on a workstation to the system file with the data definition, the following errors can occur:

Data in this workstation file is not valid, or the version of this workstation file is not supported. The BIFF file does not conform to the standard BIFF format. Processing terminates, and no more records are transferred.
Data in this field is too long for the corresponding iSeries, eServer™ i5, or System i5® field. The data is truncated. A file-description file defines character or numeric data that is longer than the field specified in the system file.
- For conversion from ASCII to EBCDIC, this error occurs if a file-description file defines ASCII data that is longer than the field specified on the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5.
  During conversion from ASCII to hexadecimal, this error will occur if a file-description file defines ASCII data that is twice as long as the field specified on the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5. This is because 2-byte ASCII data is converted to one hexadecimal character.
- A truncation error only occurs if excess bytes are other than blanks (X'20') during conversion from ASCII to EBCDIC, or other than zeros (X'30') during conversion from ASCII to hexadecimal. Truncating these excess bytes enables data to fit into the specified iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5 fields.
Numeric data is too long to fit into the corresponding iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5 field. The maximum value is assumed. This error occurs under either of the following conditions:
- Numeric data in a workstation field is too long to fit into the number of bytes specified for the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5 field.
- The number of decimal digits in a numeric field exceeds the number of digits specified for the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5 field.
The field value is set to the maximum value that can be specified for the number of bytes, and that for the number of digits, specified for the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5.
Data in this field contains too many decimal places. The data is rounded off. The number of decimal places in a workstation field is greater than the number of decimal places specified for the system. If the first excess digit is 5 or more, the data is rounded up. Otherwise, it is rounded down.
Data in this field is not correct, or its type does not match the type of workstation data. One of the following things has occurred:
- A numeric field contains other than numeric data.
- A character field or a hexadecimal field contains a number, or a numeric (zoned or packed decimal, or binary) field contains characters.
- A hexadecimal field or a numeric (zoned or packed decimal, or binary) field for the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5 contains a BIFF error cell.
If this error occurs, the transfer request terminates to avoid transferring incorrect data to the system file.
Data for this field is missing. This error occurs if the data field is defined, but the file does not contain any data. This means that the end of the record is reached before all defined data has been found.
If this error occurs (that is, if data is defined for one or more fields, but it is not found there) the fields containing the default value are transferred to the system file. The default value is EBCDIC spaces for a character field and zeros for a numeric field.

To specify a user-specific default value, use the default value (DFT) keyword in DDS for the file.
Data in this field exceeds the size of a workstation field. Data is lost. This error occurs if excess data, not defined in the workstation file-description file, is found at the end of the field. For character data, excess bytes are truncated, and not transferred to the system file. For numeric data, the entire field is converted to zeros and transferred to the system file.
Excess data is found at the end of this record. The excess data is not transferred. This error occurs if such excess data is not defined in the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5 data definition or in the workstation file-description file. This excess data is not transferred to the system, because the data and the conversion method are not defined.