Number Format Strings

The following tables illustrate the various tokens that can be used to build number format strings in BI Beans applications. The topic "Sample Number Format Strings" provides samples of these strings.

Tokens based on the Oracle Number Format

The following table describes the tokens that are based on the Oracle Number Format, which is described in the Oracle9i SQL Reference. You can use these tokens when formatting numbers in views and calculations in BI Beans applications.

Format Token Description

$

Prints the dollar sign character ($).

, (comma)

Prints a comma (,) as the group or thousands separator.

. (period)

Prints a period (.) to separate the integral and fractional parts of a number.

0

Prints one digit.

9

Prints one digit, unless it is a leading zero to the left of the decimal point, in which case a space is printed.  Prints trailing zeros to the right of the decimal point.

C

Prints the ISO currency symbol. The three-character ISO code is typically constructed with a two-character ISO country code followed by a one-character currency abbreviation. The following list provides examples:

DEM = German Mark
CHF = Swiss Franc
USD = US Dollar
JPY = Japanese Yen
GBP = Great Britain Pound
ATS = Austrian Schilling
SEK = Swedish Krona
FIM = Finnish Mark

D

Prints the local decimal character to separate the integral and fractional parts of a number.

G

Prints the local group or thousands separator.

L

Prints the local currency symbol.

MI

Prints a minus sign (-) after negative values and a space after positive values. This token must trail the other tokens.

PR

Prints angle brackets (<>) around negative values and spaces around positive values. This token must trail the other tokens.

S

Prints a minus sign (-) for negative values and a plus sign (+) for positive values, wherever the "S" token appears in the format string. This token must lead or trail the other tokens.

V

Causes the number to be multiplied by 10N, where N is the number of "0", "9", "*", and "S" tokens that appear to the right of the "V" token.

Tokens based on the BI Beans Number Format

The following table describes the tokens that are based on the BI Beans Number Format, which offers extensions to the Oracle Number Format. You can use these tokens when formatting calculations in BI Beans applications.

Format Token Description

%

Prints the percent sign character (%).

()

Prints parentheses around negative values and spaces around positive values. The parentheses must surround the other tokens.

L [currency symbol]

Allows the specification of a locale-independent currency symbol. For example, you can use "L[£]" to specify British pounds regardless of the current locale. This is an extension of the Oracle Number Format."L" token.

V-

Causes the number to be multiplied by 10-N, where N is the number of "0", "9", "*", and "S" tokens that appear to the right of the "V-"token. This is an extension of the Oracle Number Format."V" token.

VC-

Displays a scaling-down character (typically K for thousands, M for millions, B for billions, T for trillions and Q for quadrillions) based on the number of "0", "9", "*", and "S" tokens that appear to the right of the "VC-" token. This is an extension of the Oracle Number Format."V-" token.

The scaling-down character appears only if the corresponding localized resource is available for the specified scaling-down factor. For instance, there is currently no scaling-down character defined for scaling down by hundreds (that is, a scaling-down factor of N=2), but there is a scaling-down character for thousands (that is, a scaling-down factor of N=3).