TO_NUMBER: Converting a Character String to a Numeric Value

How to:

TO_NUMBER converts a character string that contains a valid number consisting of digits and an optional decimal point to the numeric format most appropriate to the context. If the value does not represent a valid number, zero (0) is returned.

Syntax: How to Convert a Character String to a Number 

TO_NUMBER(string)

where:

string

Is a character string enclosed in single quotation marks or a character field that represents a number containing digits and an optional decimal point. This string will be converted to a double-precision floating point number.

Example: Converting a Character String to a Number

The following request converts character strings to double-precision floating point numbers.

DEFINE FILE WF_RETAIL_LITE
NUM1/D12.1 = TO_NUMBER('56.78');
NUM2/D12.2 = TO_NUMBER('0.5678');
END
TABLE FILE WF_RETAIL_LITE
PRINT NUM1 NUM2
BY BUSINESS_REGION AS Region
WHERE READLIMIT EQ 1
ON TABLE SET PAGE NOLEAD
ON TABLE SET STYLE *
GRID=OFF,$
ENDSTYLE
END

The output is shown in the following image.