# Remove special characters from fields **URL:** \ **Category:** Forum\ **Tags:** Adabas-Natural, Natural, Natural-on-Mainframes, Natural-on-Windows-Unix\ **Created:** [April 29, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/remove-special-characters-from-fields/181746 "2015-04-29T23:15:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ashish\_Srivastava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Ashish\_Srivastava](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ashish_Srivastava)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/remove-special-characters-from-fields/181746/1 "2015-04-29T23:15:21Z")
What are we doing? We are trying to convert ADABAS data to DB2 format data and then verify if all data has been migrated. We are able to convert ADABAS to DB2 and load the data in DB2. Now I am trying to verify all the data. I have have 2 datasets ADABAS datasets has data from ADABAS using WRITE command. second dataset has data from DB2 tables. My plan is to be able to a comparison of both files using Super C in mainframe. Issue: Differences ADABAS DATA DB2 DATA NW896} 0 896} NW-8960 0 -8960 I want output as -8960 in place of 896}. If there is no value then I want just ‘0’(zero). Snapshot of data is below. ```auto ADABAS Data NN7120 7120 J NN0 NN750} 0 750} NN4320 0 NW896} 0 896} NN0 DB2DATA NN7120 7120 -1 NN0 NN-7500 0 -7500 NN4320 0 NW-8960 0 -8960 NN0 01 DDM-VIEW VIEW OF exxxA 02 exxx-Q-vvv-TOTAL-THIS-YR /* (N5) 02 exxx-Q-vvv-EARNED-UNUSED /* (N5) 02 exxx-Q-ccccc-SICK /* (N9) 01 DB2-exxxA 02 exxx_Q_vvv_TOTAL_THIS_YR (A6) /* N5 + SIGN 02 exxx_Q_vvv_EARNED_UNUSED (A6) /* N5 + sign 02 exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK (A10) /* N9 + sign MOVE LEFT DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-vvv-TOTAL-THIS-YR TO DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_vvv_TOTAL_THIS_YR MOVE LEFT DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-vvv-EARNED-UNUSED TO DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_vvv_EARNED_UNUSED MOVE LEFT DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-ccccc-SICK TO DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK WRITE WORK 1 DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_vvv_TOTAL_THIS_YR DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_vvv_EARNED_UNUSED DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK ``` I tried remove special characters using EM. It fixes the problem but then number get righ justified and comparison again fails. I tried below. ```auto MOVE EDITED DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-ccccc-SICK (EM=-ZZZZZZZZ9) * MOVE LEFT DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-ccccc-SICK TO DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK ``` Before above fix data was: ```auto 0 0 0 0 WIS0 S0 MN 4541 0 0 96} 0 MNS0 S0 MN 2663 0 0 15780 168 WIM1 M1 MN 0359 0 0 0 0 S0 S0 MN 4968 0 0 0 0 WIS0 S0 XS 6696 0 0 0 0 NDS0 S0 MN 0329 0 0 99579 403 MNM0 M0 MN 4968 ``` After above fix the data is as below: ```auto 0 0 00 WIS0 S0 MN 45416GNDL02 0 0 -9600 MNS0 S0 MN 26630GNDM01 0 0 15780168 WIM1 M1 MN 0359CGNDM02 0 0 00 S0 S0 MN 4968AGNDM03 0 0 00 WIS0 S0 XS 66965GNDN01 0 0 00 NDS0 S0 MN 03290GNDR01 0 0 99579403 MNM0 M0 MN 4968LGNDR02 0 0 144600 MNS0 S0 MN 2160DGNDS01 ``` Can anyone please suggest/guide/advice ? ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/remove-special-characters-from-fields/181746/2 "2015-04-30T05:39:58Z")
[quote=Ashish Srivastava] I tried below. ```auto MOVE EDITED DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-ccccc-SICK (EM=-ZZZZZZZZ9) * MOVE LEFT DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-ccccc-SICK TO DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK ``` Try changing this to ```auto MOVE EDITED DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-ccccc-SICK (EM=-ZZZZZZZZ9) TO DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK MOVE LEFT DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK TO DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK ``` ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 8:22am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/remove-special-characters-from-fields/181746/3 "2015-04-30T08:22:00Z")
Having given this more thought, here’s a one-statement alternative. ```auto COMPRESS NUMERIC DDM-VIEW.exxx-Q-ccccc-SICK INTO DB2-exxxA.exxx_Q_ccccc_SICK ``` ---
**Author:** ![Ashish\_Srivastava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Ashish\_Srivastava](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ashish_Srivastava)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/remove-special-characters-from-fields/181746/4 "2015-04-30T20:30:32Z")
Ralph Thank!! I tried first option and it works for me ( I had tried this before not sure why did not work then). COMPRESS NUMERIC throws below error. NAT0099 Field error in a COMPRESS statement. Ashish ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/remove-special-characters-from-fields/181746/5 "2015-04-30T21:27:02Z")
Sorry. The NAT0099 must be a version issue. I don’t have access to a mainframe and am testing with Natural 8.3 under Windows. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/remove-special-characters-from-fields/181746/6 "2021-04-02T15:33:20Z")