5250 error 0009: Field requires numeric characters

What it means

A field's keyboard shift is set in position 35 of the DDS. Two shifts make a field numeric only. Y is numeric only for numeric fields, and M is numeric-only character, which keeps the same keyboard rule but passes the data to the program as character. For both, IBM's DDS reference lists the digits 0 to 9, the plus sign, the minus sign, the comma, the period and the space as the characters you can type.

The display station checks each key as you press it. A letter, a dollar sign, a slash or any other character outside that list isn't placed in the field. The keyboard locks, 0009 appears on the error line and the cursor stays where the character would have gone.

Numeric-only fields are looser than signed numeric fields (shift S). In a Y field you can type a decimal point and a minus sign, and you can leave the field with any key. In an S field only the digits are allowed, and the same mistake gives 0010.

Common causes

• A letter typed in a number field, often the letter O instead of zero, or a lowercase l instead of one.
• A currency sign or percent sign typed with an amount, such as $125.00 or 15%.
• A slash or hyphen pattern in a date or phone field defined as numeric, such as 12/31/2026. The slash is refused. Hyphens are allowed because the minus sign is a valid character.
• Typing ran past the end of a text field into the next field, which is numeric only.

How to find the problem

1. Look at the cursor. It marks the place where the refused character would have gone.
2. Press Help while 0009 is on the error line to see the system's text for the error.
3. In the display file source, check position 35 for the field. Y or M means numeric only. Also check for an edit word or edit code, which tells you how the program expects the number to be typed.

How to fix it

• Press Reset (also called Error Reset) to free the keyboard. In many PC emulators Reset is the left Ctrl key by default. Then retype the value with digits only, plus a decimal point or minus sign if you need one.
• Leave out currency signs, percent signs and slashes. The program adds any formatting when it shows the value.
• For a negative amount, type the digits and leave the field with Field-, or type a minus sign. Both are accepted in a numeric-only field.
• For programmers, if a field must hold mixed text such as a part number with letters, define it as character with shift A, and recreate the display file with CRTDSPF. Recompile the programs that use it if the record format level changes.
• For programmers, if users keep typing dates with slashes, consider a date field (data type L) or a character field checked in the program, rather than a plain numeric field.

Technical reviewer: Albert Joseph, WND Software.

Last reviewed 2026-10-18 by the WND Software team. Written in our own words. For the full reference, check IBM’s 3270 or 5250 display documentation.