How to Convert EBCDIC to ASCII FAQ Frequently-asked questions about EBCDIC conversion We've included typical questions about EBCDIC conversion here, along with answers in plain English. This is only a summary of an enormous topic, but hopefully it will help you understand EBCDIC basics, why EBCDIC data needs to be converted, etc. If you have (or will have) some EBCDIC data that needs to be converted, please feel free to contact us and we'll try to help you out. The following solutions meet just about all business needs:. Do the conversion yourself with one of our. Have us create a to run the conversion yourself. “EBCDIC” is an abbreviation of “Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code”.
It's a binary encoding for displayable characters on IBM and other mainframe and mid-size computers used by governments and other large institutions, such as mortgage companies and banks. Today’s personal computers use a different binary encoding for displayable characters called “ASCII” (American Standard Code for Information Interchange).
I need a help for the conversion from EBCDIC to ASCII. Can anyone help me with the JCL utility or the JCL which helps us in this conversion. The COBOL program that does the actual conversion is generated by the SimoZaps Utility program. This link provides a View of the COBOL Source Code and Copy File that does a file format and record content conversion from an ASCII/Text file to an EBCDIC encoded Indexed file.
The two encodings are very different. EBCDIC dates back to the use of computer punch cards, which had a different set of displayable characters than today’s PCs.
Also, when EBCDIC was defined, computer memory and storage were very limited and very expensive. Programmers figured out ingenious ways to conserve space, such as “packing” information into fewer bytes where possible. Because of their differences, converting a file between EBCDIC and ASCII or other formats usually requires specialized software or a file editor like vEdit that understands how to do the conversion. An 80-column punch card with the 1964 EBCDIC character set If the EBCDIC file contains only text, it can easily be converted byte-for-byte to ASCII; some ftp programs will even do this.
However, much more complex EBCDIC data files are actually databases, often created by COBOL programs. They could also be created in IBM 360 assembly language and other old languages. These data files can include compressed binary fields to represent numbers.
For example, a signed 7-digit number is compressed into just 4 bytes. Therefore, a byte-for-byte conversion is not possible.
The conversion process needs to know the position, size and type of compressed numbers. EBCDIC data files are typically supplied with documentation that describes the size and type of each field. Some, like data dictionaries, may include positional information. The most common and preferred layout specification is called a 'COBOL Copybook'. The supplier of the data file generally has the copybook and can provide it with the data. EBCDIC data files can have a very complex structure, much more complex than any modern database table. Without the layout information, the EBCDIC data file can be very difficult to understand.
For example, EBCDIC data can include multiple record types of variable length. Imagine taking a dozen different SQL tables, merging them and shuffling the records; that is the structure of an EBCDIC file with multiple record types.
A single variable length EBCDIC record could consist of a bank customer's basic information plus all the deposits and withdrawals they made in one month. A single EBCDIC record can consist of a 'master' record and a variable number of 'detail' records. Therefore, a single EBCDIC data file often needs to be converted into multiple ASCII files, perhaps with the addition of relational keys.
EBCDIC and ASCII are very different formats. Converting between them is usually not straightforward.
There are several reasons for this. For example: Different Character Mapping The same displayable characters are mapped to different binary (machine) values.
For example, the letter “A” in EBCDIC is decimal 193 (hex xC1). In ASCII, “A” is decimal 65 (hex x41). Delimiters ASCII uses special characters ('delimiters') to mark the end of each line in the file and to separate the words and numbers in each line. EBCDIC does not use delimiters.
Instead, you need a separate 'layout file' to figure out where each field and each line ends. Packed Fields Many EBCDIC files use a scheme called 'packing' to reduce the amount of space it takes to represent numbers. Each digit (0-9) of a number is represented by 4-bits (a half-byte, or 'nibble'), so each byte can hold 2 digits. The layout file tells you which fields are packed and how. So it takes special software like the vEdit EBCDIC Converter Packages to translate an EBCDIC file with packed fields to ASCII. Many EBCDIC data files contain other types of special fields that required special software to convert them. This is just a summary of the differences.
For more details, see our. That depends on how complicated your EBCDIC file is. Some free conversion tools exist on the internet, but they can only handle the very simplest layout and don't work for most real-world data. You'll probably need to buy a file editor designed for the task to convert it yourself or hire a professional to do it for you. The simplest EBCDIC file has fixed-length records and does not use packed fields. As long as you know the layout, a, with the ability to convert between formats (e.g., EBCDIC, ASCII, HEX) can do the conversion without much effort.
Converting an EBCDIC file with packed BCD, zoned, signed, binary and other special fields to ASCII requires specialized software that has information about the various fields. Otherwise, any character-by-character EBCDIC to ASCII translation software or hardware will corrupt these fields and the original data will no longer be recoverable. You may find that it's not worth your time or investment to do the conversion yourself, so you might consider hiring a professional to or even. First, get the EBCDIC data files and if they exist, the layout files.
If you use an FTP program to transfer them, make sure you copy all EBCDIC data files to your PC using 'Binary' mode in your FTP program. If you transfer it in ASCII mode (or maybe even in Auto mode), you will corrupt the file and it may not be readable without extensive effort. FileZilla is a widely used free FTP program. Then, you need to find a. If you have the simplest type of file (no packed records, no multiple record types, no special fields, etc. You can use the basic vEdit software (32-bit or Pro64 versions).
A is available that works for 30 days. It's likely your file requires a layout file to do the conversion, but you might not need to handle all possible EBCDIC variations. To help customers optimize their budgets, vEdit comes with three different EBDIC conversion packages (Levels Two, Three and Four) for files of increasing complexity. You can download a free trial version of Level Two that works for 30 days. The may help you decide which level will work best for you.
We're glad to help you figure that out as well. All we need is the file layout specification (like the COBOL 'copy-book', data dictionary or other layout specs) and we can usually determine what level is needed. Sometimes we also need to see a sample data file. And we'll discuss it with you.
If needed, we can arrange to have you send us sample files securely. If your needs change or for some reason you require a higher-level vEdit EBCDIC Conversion kit, you can upgrade for the price difference within 12 months of your purchase.