Null Values for Numeric Variables
If the user does not enter a value at runtime for a numeric variable with runtime qualification, RBF issues an error message. To avoid this circumstance, application developers have the following options:
• Quote the variable in the query by archiving the RBF report specification and editing it in Report-Writer.
If the user does not enter a variable, RBF interprets the quoted empty variable as a value of zero. This procedure is not recommended for fields in which this behavior is semantically incorrect—for example, in nullable fields. Once you have saved a report specification with the archive command, you can no longer edit it in RBF.
• Supply the variable value in a call report statement, or require the user to supply it on the command line, so the value is ensured to exist; then call Report-Writer to run the report.