Transforms

Transforms specify a data transformation for a COBOL data item value to or from a relational database column value.

It is common for COBOL products to have a limited set of formats used for storing dates. When specifying date formats options, it is prudent to use only those date formats used by your COBOL programs in order to avoid invalid transforms.

The list of date transforms that are available to choose from is controlled by the settings on the Date Format tab. Availability is also controlled by the size of the underlying COBOL data item. For example, on an item with a PIC 9(6) you will not see 8-digit transforms such as YYYYMMDD.

To apply a transform to a data item, click the required cell in the Transform column and select one of the transforms listed; the data is transformed when the table is generated or when data is written back into the data file.