RE: SQL to identify bad data in numeric columns

The easiest way to get the source code is to use ACS - Schemas.
Position on the database object ... right click GENERATE_SQL --> DDL and
you'll get the source code.
Another option to get the SQL Source code from a database object is to use
the GENERATE_SQL Stored Procedure

Here is the SQL Code retrieved with Reverse Engineering:

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION SYSTOOLS/VALIDATE_DATA_FILE ( 
	LIBRARY_NAME VARCHAR(10) FOR SBCS DATA , 
	FILE_NAME VARCHAR(10) FOR SBCS DATA ) 
	RETURNS TABLE ( 
	VALIDATE_TIME TIMESTAMP , 
	LIBRARY_NAME VARCHAR(10) FOR SBCS DATA , 
	FILE_NAME VARCHAR(10) FOR SBCS DATA , 
	MEMBER_NAME VARCHAR(10) FOR SBCS DATA , 
	RELATIVE_RECORD_NUMBER BIGINT , 
	SQL_WARNING INTEGER , 
	REASON_CODE INTEGER , 
	COLUMN_NAME VARCHAR(128) FOR SBCS DATA , 
	WARNING_TEXT VARCHAR(1000) FOR SBCS DATA )   
	LANGUAGE SQL 
	SPECIFIC SYSTOOLS/VALID_FIL 
	NOT DETERMINISTIC 
	MODIFIES SQL DATA 
	CALLED ON NULL INPUT 
	NO EXTERNAL ACTION 
	NOT FENCED 
	SYSTEM_TIME SENSITIVE NO 
	SET OPTION  ALWBLK = *ALLREAD , 
	ALWCPYDTA = *OPTIMIZE , 
	COMMIT = *NONE , 
	DECRESULT = (31, 31, 00) , 
	DFTRDBCOL = QSYS2 , 
	DLYPRP = *NO , 
	DYNDFTCOL = *NO , 
	DYNUSRPRF = *USER , 
	SRTSEQ = *HEX   
	BEGIN 
-- 
-- description: validate_data_file will call validate_data() for all members
within a database file 
-- 
--              Input parameters: 
--                library_name - the library name containing the database
file 
--                file_name    - the database file name 
-- 
-- There are no expected failures, so leave if a failure occurs, with an
info message sent to the joblog 
DECLARE EXIT HANDLER FOR SQLEXCEPTION 
BEGIN 
DECLARE LOCAL_SQLCODE INTEGER ; 
DECLARE LOCAL_SQLSTATE CHAR ( 5 ) ; 
DECLARE V_MESSAGE_TEXT VARCHAR ( 2000 ) FOR SBCS DATA ; 
  
GET DIAGNOSTICS CONDITION 1 
LOCAL_SQLCODE = DB2_RETURNED_SQLCODE , 
LOCAL_SQLSTATE = RETURNED_SQLSTATE , 
V_MESSAGE_TEXT = MESSAGE_TEXT ; 
CALL SYSTOOLS / LPRINTF ( 'VALIDATE_DATA_FILE FAILED WITH SQLCODE=' CONCAT
LOCAL_SQLCODE CONCAT 
' SQLSTATE=' CONCAT LOCAL_SQLSTATE CONCAT ' MESSAGE= ' CONCAT V_MESSAGE_TEXT
) ; 
END ; 
  
RETURN 
WITH TBL ( MBR ) AS ( 
SELECT TABLE_PARTITION 
FROM QSYS2 / SYSPARTITIONSTAT A 
WHERE SYSTEM_TABLE_SCHEMA = LIBRARY_NAME AND 
SYSTEM_TABLE_NAME = FILE_NAME AND 
TABLE_PARTITION IS NOT NULL 
) 
SELECT A . * 
FROM TBL , LATERAL ( SELECT * FROM TABLE ( SYSTOOLS . VALIDATE_DATA (
LIBRARY_NAME => LIBRARY_NAME , 
FILE_NAME => FILE_NAME , 
MEMBER_NAME => TBL . MBR ) ) ) A ; 
END  ;

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best regards

Birgitta Hauser
Modernization – Education – Consulting on IBM i
Database and Software Architect  
IBM Champion since 2020

"Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." (Les
Brown)
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." (Derek Bok)
"What is worse than training your staff and losing them? Not training them
and keeping them!"
"Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they
don't want to. " (Richard Branson)
"Learning is experience … everything else is only information!" (Albert
Einstein)


-----Original Message-----
From: MIDRANGE-L <midrange-l-bounces-+hD5IHI5Xscn3HwCXmMcX9BPR1lH4CV8@public.gmane.org> On Behalf Of Vern
Hamberg via MIDRANGE-L
Sent: Friday, 8 May 2026 15:09
To: [email protected]
Cc: Vern Hamberg <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: SQL to identify bad data in numeric columns

Hi Birgitta

You mention reverse-engineering to get the SQL source code. Is there
something more to do than merely to open the routine body in the Schemas
tool? I took a brief look at it this morning and have not identified
everything the VALIDATE_FILE table function does.

*Regards*

*Vern Hamberg*

IBM Champion 2025 <cid:[email protected]> CAAC (COMMON
Americas Advisory Council) IBM Influencer 2023


On 5/8/2026 12:12 AM, Birgitta Hauser wrote:
> Yep!
> You have to run the services multiple times until you trap all invalid
> numeric values!
> ... but the service is in the SYSTOOLS schema, that means it is not in the
> normal support, but with reverse engineering you can get the SQL source
code
> ... so you can modify it and create your own function.
>
> Another alternative is using TRY_CAST on every numeric column and if it
> returns NULL replace it with a valid numeric value (normally 0).
> Which, in composition with dynamic SQL is what I have used for my function
> for revising invalid numeric values ... and even in before
> insert/update/delete triggers that check for invalid numeric values, and
> revise them, so SQL tables will not crash, when writing invald data.
>
> Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best regards
>
> Birgitta Hauser
> Modernization – Education – Consulting on IBM i
> Database and Software Architect
> IBM Champion since 2020
>
> "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." (Les
> Brown)
> "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." (Derek Bok)
> "What is worse than training your staff and losing them? Not training them
> and keeping them!"
> "Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so
they
> don't want to. " (Richard Branson)
> "Learning is experience … everything else is only information!" (Albert
> Einstein)
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: MIDRANGE-L<midrange-l-bounces-+hD5IHI5Xscn3HwCXmMcX9BPR1lH4CV8@public.gmane.org> On Behalf Of Dan
> Bale via MIDRANGE-L
> Sent: Thursday, 7 May 2026 23:08
> To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion<[email protected]>
> Cc: Dan Bale<dan.bale-EkiVQpMPPJH8R359/[email protected]>
> Subject: SQL to identify bad data in numeric columns
>
> I found the systools.validate_data_file table function.  It "works", but
it
> returns only one result per row that may have more than one numeric column
> with invalid data.  I would like the results to show all invalid columns
for
> a given row, not just one.
>
> I extracted the source for this, but I'm wondering whether anyone else has
> already invented this wheel and is willing to share.
>
> - Dan Bale
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