A numeric literal is a string of digits that DEC DATATRIEVE interprets as a decimal number. A numeric literal may contain a decimal point and up to 31 digits. The decimal point is optional and is not counted in the maximum number of digits. A numeric literal can begin with a decimal point. Thus, for example, .5 is a valid numeric literal. A numeric literal cannot end with a decimal point. For example, 123. is not a valid numeric, but 123.0 is. If you use a numeric literal to assign a value to a field or a variable, the data type of the field or variable controls the maximum value you can assign.