How To Generate A Check Digit

This document explains how to generate a Check Digit using Collect!'s report writer. Collect! uses the LUHN code algorithm when generating the check digit.

Familiarity with Collect!'s report writer and with using loops in report is required. The database field you are using must contain only numeric data for this to work.

When your bank supplies you with a bill payer code, debtors can make payments at post offices, bank branches, through the Internet or through phone banking outlets. The bank requires that you provide them with a unique " client reference number" with a "Check Digit" to ensure accuracy and integrity of client data.

This Check Digit can be generated in Collect! with the simple addition of a formatting code to any field containing strictly numeric data.

Please make sure the field that you are using to generate the check digit has valid information in it.

Check Digit Report Code

To generate a check digit add <cd> to the number field you are using. This tells the report system to append a space and the Check Digit.

To output the Check Digit only, <cdc> to the number field you are using.

Example 1:

This will create a Check Digit using the client account number, 18-77564.

@de.ac<cd>
Output: 18-77564 0

Example 2:

This will output the Check Digit only using the client account number, 18-77564.

@de.ac<cdc>
Ouptut: 0

Example 3:

This loop prints the file number and the account number with a space and the Check Digit, regardless of input.

@de max=10
@de.fi @de.ac<cd>
@de

The function will not process garbage account numbers. Any non-numeric character in the account number will cause a zero to be output as the Check Digit, regardless of input. So make sure your account numbers are valid and strictly numeric.

Check Digit No Space

To generate a Check Digit without a space add <cdn> to the number field you are using. This tells the report system append the Check Digit without a space.

Example:

This will create a Check Digit using the client account number, as above, but without appending a space first.

@de.ac<cdn>
Output: 18-775640

The function will not process garbage account numbers. Any non-numeric character in the account number will cause a zero to be output as the Check Digitt, regardless of input. So make sure your account numbers are valid and strictly numeric.

Check Digit 97

The Australian Post Office Modulus 97 Check Digit can be obtained by using <cd97> or <cd97c>.

Examples:

@de.ac<cd97>
@de.ac<cd97c>

<cd97> produces the input string, a space and the Check Digit.
Ex: 18-77564 80

<cd97c> produces the Check Digit only.
Ex: 80

We use the following weights to support up to 19 digit numbers:

3,5,7,11,13,17,19,23,29,31,37,41,43,47,53,59,61,67,71

Check Digit 2097

The Australian Post Office Modulus 97 - 20 weight Check Digit can be obtained by using <cd2097> or <cd2097c>.

We use the following weights to support up to 20 digit numbers: 20,19,18,17,16,15,14,13,12,11,10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

Examples:

@de.ac<cd2097>
@de.ac<cd2097c>

<cd2097> produces the input string, a space and the Check Digit.
Ex: 18-77564 65

<cd2097c> produces the Check Digit only.
Ex: 65

If the check digit is less than 10, it will be zero padded.

Examples:

@de.fi<cd2097> for File 1400 outputs 1400 01

@de.fi<cd2097c> for File 1400 outputs 01

Strip Check Digit

The following commands output the same formats as above, but the incoming data is stripped of non-numerics before the check digit calculations are performed. This actually results in a different check digit being generated.

Example 1:

This will create a Check Digit using the client account number, 18-77564, automatically stripped to 1877564 before calculating the check digit.

@de.ac<cds>
Output: 1877564 3

Example 2:

This will output the Check Digit only using the client account number, 18-77564, automatically stripped to 1877564 before calculating the check digit.

@de.ac<cdcs>
Ouptut: 3

Example 3:

This will generate a Check Digit without a space using the client account number, 18-77564, automatically stripped to 1877564 before calculating the check digit.

@de.ac<cdns>
Output: 18775643

Creating Reports Using Check Digit

Using the loop structure as shown above, in Example 2, you can create your own reports, looping through which ever records you need, to access the field you will be using to generate the check digit.

For example:

Report Name: My Report

Start On: Anywhere

@de max=10
@de.fi @de.ac<cdn>
@de

Printing Check Digit To Spreadsheet

When printed to a spreadsheet, the second example above results in the file number in one column and the account number plus its check digit in the second column.

Assigning Check Digit To A Variable

You can also assign a check digit formatted printable information field to a variable. This works for any printable information field that prints as a check digit. Any of the check digit operators may be used.

Example:

@varStr* = @de.ac<cdns>

If the client account number is 18-77564, then @varStr now holds '18775643'.

Check Digit Algorithm

This is how Collect! generates the check digit, using the LUHN formula algorithm.

Initialization:

1. Set weighting factor to 1.

2. Set cumulative sum to 0.

3. Verify the input data is all numeric, return 0 if alpha found.

4. Reverse the input string.

Processing:

Start with first digit in the string (that's the least significant digit.)

For each digit:

1. Multiply the digit by the weighting factor + 1 (i.e. the least significant digit has a weighting factor of 2.)

2. If the result of the previous multiplication is greater than 9 then subtract 9 from the result.

3. Add the result from step 2 to the cumulative sum.

4. Exclusive Or the weighting factor (i.e. if it is 1, make it 0, and if it is 0 make it 1.)

5. Select the next more significant digit in the input string.

6. Go to Processing Step 1 unless there are no digits left to process.

Summary Calculation:

The cumulative total now contains the sum of all digits multiplied by the appropriate weighting factor based on the digit position with respect to the least significant digit.

1. Take the remainder of the cumulative total divided by 10 (i.e. total modulo 10 - this number therefore ranges between 0 and 9.)

2. Subtract the result of step 1 from 10.

3. If the result is 10, then make the result 0.

Completion:

Return the result.

Summary

This is an efficient and easy way to use the report writer to generate a unique reference number.