This item property lets you specify how many digits of the numeric item represent the decimal portion of the item. CSPro does not expect the decimal point to be in the data file; if your data file does contain the decimal point, you will need to set the decimal character property. Therefore, the length of the item is not affected by the number of decimal places.
For example: Suppose you had two data files, each containing an item in the format "##.##". One file has an implied decimal point, the other file physically contains the decimal point. Here are the two ways to define the item (using 12.75 as an example)
Length Dec Dec Char
4 2 No (decimal implied; number would appear as "1275")
5 2 Yes (decimal present; number would appear as "12.75")
NOTE: ID items cannot have decimals.
See also: Item Properties