Converting Data Types with FastLoad

Converting data is easy. Just define the input data types in the input file. Then, FastLoad will compare that to the column definitions in the Data Dictionary and convert the data for you! But the cardinal rule is that only one data type conversion is allowed per column. In the example below, notice how the columns in the input file are converted from one data type to another simply by redefining the data type in the CREATE TABLE statement.

FastLoad allows six kinds of data conversions. Here is a chart that displays them:

IN FASTLOAD YOU MAY CONVERT
CHARACTER DATA	TO	NUMERIC DATA
FIXED LENGTH DATA	TO	VARIABLE LENGTH DATA
CHARACTER DATA	TO	DATE
INTEGERS	TO	DECIMALS
DECIMALS	TO	INTEGERS
DATE	TO	CHARACTER DATA
NUMERIC DATA	TO	CHARACTER DATA

Figure 4-4

When we said that converting data is easy, we meant that it is easy for the user. It is actually quite resource intensive, thus increasing the amount of time needed for the load. Therefore, if speed is important, keep the number of columns being converted to a minimum!