Fixed point data  types  represent  scaled  quantities  in  a  binary
  format.  They can be SIGNED or UNSIGNED.

   o  You can declare the total number of  DIGITS  and  the  number  of
      those  digits  that  are FRACTIONS.  The number of digits must be
      greater than 0 and less than 32.  The number  of  fractions  must
      not  be greater than the number of digits.  The default number of
      fractions is 0.

   o  You can specify a SCALE  as  an  implied  exponent.   The  signed
      integer   must   be   in  the  range  -128  to  127.   The  SCALE
      specification indicates the number of places to shift the decimal
      point  when  the  field  is  evaluated.  A negative specification
      indicates a shift of the specified number of places to the  left,
      and  a  positive specification indicates a shift of the specified
      number of places to the right.

      When using SCALE, note the following rules:

       -  The SCALE specification and the FRACTIONS specification  have
          a  similar function.  They both indicate how many digits in a
          field are to the right of  the  decimal  point.   There  are,
          however, two important differences:

           o  The number of FRACTIONS you can specify is limited to the
              number  of  DIGITS  you  declare for the data type.  With
              SCALE, there is no such limitation.

           o  With SCALE, you can shift the decimal point to the  right
              and  to  the  left, but with FRACTIONS, you can shift the
              decimal point only to the left.

       -  Use a positive integer in the SCALE specification to move the
          decimal point to the right.

       -  Use a negative integer in the SCALE specification to move the
          decimal point to the left.

   o  You can also  specify  the  radix,  or  BASE,  with  an  unsigned
      integer.   The  BASE  indicates the number system to be used when
      the field is evaluated.  The default BASE is 10.