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Fold - Case conversion

Enhanced Definition

In mainframe computing, case conversion, often referred to as "folding," is the process of transforming characters between their uppercase and lowercase representations. This is crucial for standardizing data, facilitating case-insensitive comparisons, and ensuring data consistency within EBCDIC-based systems.

Key Characteristics

- EBCDIC Encoding: Case conversion on z/OS operates on EBCDIC characters, where uppercase and lowercase letters have distinct hexadecimal representations, differing significantly from ASCII.
- Application-Specific Implementation: The method of conversion is typically implemented within application programs (e.g., COBOL, PL/I, Assembler) or through database functions (e.g., DB2 SQL).
- Data Normalization: It's frequently used to normalize input data by converting all characters to a uniform case (e.g., all uppercase) before storage or processing.
- **Collating