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Inequality

Not Equal

Enhanced Definition

In mainframe computing, "inequality" or "not equal" refers to a fundamental comparison operation used in conditional logic to determine if two values or expressions are distinct. It evaluates to `true` if the operands are different and `false` if they are identical, driving program flow and data selection within z/OS environments.

Key Characteristics

- Boolean Result: The outcome of a "not equal" comparison is always a Boolean value (true or false), dictating the execution path in conditional statements.
- Syntax Variations: Expressed differently across mainframe languages, such as NOT EQUAL TO or <> in COBOL, NE in JCL COND parameters and IF/THEN/ELSE constructs, and != or <> in DB2 SQL.
- EBCDIC Collating Sequence: For character string comparisons on z/OS, the evaluation of inequality is based on the EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code) collating sequence, which defines the order of characters.
- Data Type Sensitivity: Comparisons are sensitive to the data types of the operands; comparing numeric fields with alphanumeric fields without proper conversion can lead to unpredictable results or abends.
- Control Flow Impact: Directly influences the control flow of programs and job steps, enabling branching, looping, and selective processing based on whether conditions are met or not met.