DATE EDIT CODE CONTROL SUMMARY

Table 2.26 lists various examples of how the header specification affects the date edit code (Y). The date edit code is, ironically, not used to edit fields that are type date, but rather to edit fields that are type numeric. The edited numeric output field is written in a date-formatted presentation.

Table 2.26: Controlling the Y ( DATE) Edit Code

Date Variable[1]	DATSEP Keyword	Date Edit Keyword ( DATEDIT) Header Specification
		Not Specified	*MDY	*DMY	*YMD
UDATE	Blank	6/21/88	6/21/88	21/06/88	88/06/21
UDATE	Blank	21/06/88	6/21/88	21/06/88	88/06/21
UDATE	Blank	21.06.88	6.21.88	21.06.88	88.06.21
UDATE	-	6-21-88	6-21-88	21-06-88	88-06-21
UDATE	-	21-06-88	6-21-88	21-06-88	88-06-21
UDATE	-	21-06-88	6-21-88	21-06-88	88-06-21
*DATE	Blank	6/21/1988	6/21/1988	21/06/1988	1988/06/21
*DATE	/	21/06/1988	6/21/1988	21/06/1988	1988/06/21
*DATE	.	21.06.1988	6.21.1988	21.06.1988	1988.06.21
*DATE	-	6-21-1988	6-21-1988	21-06-1988	1988-06-21
*DATE	-	21-06-1988	6-21-1988	21-06-1988	1988-06-21
*DATE	-	21-06-1988	6-21-1988	21-06-1988	1988-06-21
[1]The UDATE field is a six-position numeric field with zero decimal positions. The * DATE field is an eight-position numeric field with zero decimal positions.

The date 21 June, 1988 (or June 21, 1988, for those who live in the USA) is the basis for the examples used in Table 2.26.

Tip

To avoid zero suppression of the leading zero with the UDATE or *DATE values (e.g., to output the date as 06/21/88 instead of 6/21/88), use a 7- or 9-position numeric field for output instead of UDATE or *DATE. The Y edit code, by definition, "zero suppresses" only the first zero in the output field. Moving UDATE or *DATE to a larger field avoids zero suppression of the leading digit in the date.