Re: Help! Converting files from a Cobol app

From: James J. Gavan (jjgavan_at_shaw.ca)
Date: 10/27/04 

Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 22:37:14 GMT

Vilco wrote:

>Lueko Willms wrote:
>
>
>> about Re: Help! Converting files from a Cobol app
>>
>>
>
>
>
>>>If you have copybooks, I posted a program that will use them to
>>>convert the files to comma-delimited.
>>>
>>>
>
>
>
>> I posted another one.
>> As to the original question -- I am just curious if the person or
>>organization which produced that application is no longer around, does
>>offer or not an upgrade of that application to current Windows
>>technologies, can provide data conversion services ... or are you
>>dissatisfied with that application that you do no longer want to rely
>>on its original author?
>>
>>
>
>First of all, thanks to all :)
>Then, to answer to Lueko's question, this cobol ERP software is still in use at the customer's site: he wants a new software because
>the original producer does no more produce updates for that software, which will be absolete in less then six months due to incoming
>changes in the taxation laws.
>To come back to the matter, from what R.Wagner posted I understand that if I have these Cobol clipbooks or source files I can use
>some free utilities to extract the files? OK, tomorrow at work I will check for these files. I remember having seen many .cob files
>around.
>I also have seen that the data files (no extension) contain compressed numeric values. The data are enough easy to understand since
>the numeric fields are very few, many fields are text and so are easy to recognize (name, surname, address...) so I can clearly see
>the "persons" file starting with the numeric ID (compressed, rectangular character or special characters like Danish "D", germaun
>umlauts etc in text viewer) and going on with surname, name, etc. The character fields, like the surname and name of the persons,
>are not full-plain text: every some six-to-ten characters there is one inconsistent character, like a german umlaut in the half of
>an otherwise plain italian surname (like "ferraļi" instead of "ferrari").
>I have seen many other file formats akin to this one, like those used in an acucobol application I converted data from in the past,
>but even with compressed numeric fields the text fields always showed up correctly, with no corruption like the one I see in these
>files.
>Any clues?
>Thanks again, will show up tomorrow morning
>>From GMT+1 time-zone
>
>

If you haven't got MS or MF manuals - use the following link to the
current Net Express V 4 on-line books :-

http://supportline.microfocus.com/supportline/documentation/books/nx40/nx40indx.htm

Not necessarily so, but those packed numeric values are in all
likelihood specified as variations of the format of comp-3. Have a look
at the Language Reference Manual for comp-3 - 2.6.4.4. and 8.26.

I'm not sure, but from what you have written with regard to the text
fields - it's possible that the originator designed the files with data
compression. Again, look at the book on File Handling, Section 6.3.

Without question, if you can get copies of the file format sources from
the original developer - that's far the easiest route to go. For a few
bucks they might even be prepared to write you the programs putting out
the data as comma delimited text files. So the 'few bucks' might be
$200-500 - still probably cheaper than your time figuring it out.

Jimmy