Numeric comparisons
A numeric comparison is a comparison of the algebraic value of two operands of class numeric.
When the algebraic values of numeric operands are compared:
- The length (number of digits) of the operands is not significant.
- The usage of the operands is not significant.
- Unsigned numeric operands are considered positive.
- All zero values compare equal; the presence or absence of a sign does not affect the result.
The behavior of numeric comparisons depends on the settings of the NUMPROC and ZONEDATA compiler options. For details, see NUMPROC and ZONEDATA in the Enterprise COBOL Programming Guide.