DSXchange

I have a string VARCHAR[10]. Here is what is needed

(1) First find out if a string has any numeric digits or not.
(2) If yes, find the first position of the numeric digit.
(3) Also, find what that numeric digit is.

I can find out if a string has numeric or not using Alpha() but for those string that tells me that they do contains some numeric value, how do I find #2 and #3mentioned above?

Interesting requirement...

Off the top of my head:
1) Custom routine
2) Brute force using 10 index functions and some if-then-else logic
3) Get creative with length and convert functions

If this is a 1-time deal, then I'd just go the brute force route. If it will be a frequent requirement, then I'd go with the custom routine.

Mike

Even if I plan to use search function (INDEX) 10 times, how to I search for numbers 0-9 in a string. Can this be done in 1 function?

You can do it in a Transformer stage, something like this (creative way):
If '#' will ever exist in the input column, then use some other character that is unique instead.

If you're prepared to use a BASIC Transformer stage or server job, you could have which would answer all three questions.

I am really curious to know the meaning of 0X1N0X

I have also seen this on

http://www.pickwiki.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl ... AMVedit_AE

it seems like BASIC SUBROTUINE written in the above link.

It's a pattern, the UniVerse equivalent of a regular expression. The MATCH operator is fully explained in the UniVerse BASIC pdf. I don't believe in posting entire chunks of manuals here, so suffice it to say it matches any number of any characters followed by one numeric character followed by any number of any characters. 'Any' can also include 'none', btw.

You can read about DataStage BASIC match patterns in, curiously, the DataStage BASIC manual.

That too.

Index and Convert as proposed worked just fine.

A simple solution which I can suggest but it is in Server Job:

Let Say:

The column name in which you have to perform this logic is X.

In transformer of Server Job you can write the below mentioned transformation:

Oconv(X,'MCN')[1,1]

Above written Oconv function will give all the numerals as a output and then we are picking the first one.

Let me know if it servers the purpose.

FYI - the DIGITS transform is a short-cut to that particular OConv function.

The OConv will answer everything except the position , so an Index needs to be used along with it , probably in a different transformer derivation ( Assuming this is for a transformer ! )