Packed Decimal Literals

A packed decimal literal is a kind of floating-point literal that provides the ability to accurately represent large numeric quantities. It can consist of an integral part, a decimal point, a fractional part, and the mandatory suffix D. A packed decimal literal can have up to sixty-three significant digits, including integral and fractional parts.

A packed decimal literal is of the form:

     .-----------.     .-------.
     V           |     V       |
>>-----+-------+-+--.----digit-+----+-d-+----------------------><
       '-digit-'                    '-D-'
 

Both the integral and fractional parts are made up of decimal digits. You can omit either the integral part or the fractional part, but not both.

Related References

• See ILE C/C++ Programmer’s Guide for more information.