One of the most common issues in SQL is dealing with dates. This article will introduce you to the joys of dates, both legacy and date data type.

Written by Joe Pluta

With the introduction of the date data type (and its siblings, the time and timestamp data types), the i5/OS database took a huge step forward. And although RPG's acceptance was a little more grudging, we eventually got to where we are today. However, if you're like many shops, you may have to deal with both legacy dates and date-type dates. And when you're talking about user-controlled queries, you still have to get those date values from the user via fields on the screen.

Create a useful procedure to remove white space from strings in RPG.

Written by Tom Snyder

In a previous article, I discussed how to use string manipulation built-in functions (BIFs) to process external files. I explained %TRIM, %TRIML, %TRIMR, %SUBST, %XLATE, %CHECK, and %CHECKR. But it was brought to my attention that I failed to mention the crucial string manipulation %SCAN BIF when an MC Press Online reader named Donna G. asked me, "Do you have any suggestions on how to strip out the blanks that are in the middle of data?"