Format of Data Values

The simulator supports setting three data types: CHAR, BYTE, and PACK. For fields defined as type CHAR, data is read from the input file and is set directly into the field as character data; no conversion is necessary.

For fields of type BYTE, the value from the file is converted to an array of bytes. Values for fields of type BYTE are assumed to be in decimal format. If data is to be entered in hexadecimal format, the value must be prefixed with 0x. Values not prefixed with 0x are assumed to be binary data. For example, if 1234 is entered into a 2-byte field, the 1234 is assumed to be the number 1234. The hexadecimal byte array that is sent to the Business Rules Server is 0x04D2. If the value on the Business Rules Server is either an integer or short, the user sees the value 1234 because the hexadecimal value 0x04D2 is translated back to its binary equivalent. If the value is specified as 0x1234 in the input file, the hexadecimal byte array that is sent to the Business Rules Server is 0x1234. If the value on the Business Rules Server is either an integer or short, the user sees the value 4660 because the hexadecimal value 0x1234 is translated to its binary equivalent.

For fields of type PACK, the value from the file is converted into an array of bytes. Values for fields of type PACK are assumed to be in hexadecimal format so the user may enter the data with or without a preceding 0x (indicating it is hexadecimal data). For example, a data value of ,0x1234 and 1234 are equivalent and cause a two-byte array to be set into the field. The first byte contains the hex value 12 and the second byte contains the hex value 34. Some systems have account numbers that are specified in pack format. Therefore, a 14-digit account field would actually fit into a 7-byte pack field. The account number, 11122233344455, would be sent to the Business Rules Server as 7 bytes. The hex byte array would be [11][12][22][33][34][44][55]. Values for fields of type PACK must be in the range of 0..9, A...F, and a...f. If a value falls outside this range, an error occurs and the field is not passed to the Business Rules Server.