ZERO Suppression and Replacement Editing

Zero Suppression involves omitting leading zeros from a number, and replacement editing involves replacing leading zeros with another character, typically a space or an asterisk (*). These techniques are used to ensure that leading zeros in a number are displayed in a more reader-friendly manner.

These techniques applicable to only for numeric-edited items. There are two varieties of suppression and replacement editing -

• Suppression of leading zeros and replacement with spaces.
• Suppression of leading zeros and replacement with asterisks.

The syntax for special insertion editing involves the use of editing symbols -

• Z - Suppresses leading zeros. When the number is displayed or printed, the leading zeros are replaced by spaces.
• * - Replaces leading zeros with asterisks.
• Z and * - A combination of Z and *.

Examples -