Error: Alias value field type does not match alias type

Periodic Process or Calculation returns “Alias value field type does not match alias type” error message (16005,28042).

Root Cause

The type of result resolved for an Alias does not align with the type configured in the PA_ALIAS_USE.ALIAS_FLD_PIC field.

ALIAS_FLD_PIC is updated by PeopleCode when changes are saved on various Alias configuration pages. It value in this field should start with DEC, CHAR, or DATE and match the type of value the alias is returning.

Reasons why this field may be out of sync with the Alias configuration:

1. Identified PeopleCode Issue – Custom Statement Assignment from Character or Date Temporary Variable Fails.
2. Unidentified PeopleCode Bug – Change to Alias configuration does not update ALIAS_FLD_PIC.
3. Migration failure – change to configured Alias type only partially migrated, and update to PA_ALIAS_USE record was not included.

This error is thrown when the COBOL Periodic Process or Calculation executes, but it’s caused by discrepancies in the Alias configuration data. These discrepancies are likely caused by problems with the Alias configuration pages and the PeopleCode behind them that should populate ALIAS_FLD_PIC with the correct type.

Solutions

The Alias name is identified in the message text (%5). A review of the Alias configuration may help determine the type of value to be resolved. The application trace output may help identify any unexpected inputs leading up to the error.

Check that PA_ALIAS_USE.ALIAS_FLD_PIC for the identified Alias is set correctly. It should start with DEC, CHAR, or DATE and match the type of value the alias is returning.

This field can be manually updated to correct the problem, but it is possible that if the configuration for the Alias is changed, the manual update could be wiped out.

A better suggestion is to identify why the ALIAS_FLD_PIC value was set incorrectly when the Alias is configured online. After correcting any PeopleCode problems, freshly edit and save the Alias, and then confirm the ALIAS_FLD_PIC has been set correctly.

This problem has been observed when Character or Date values are assigned to a temporary variable within a Custom Statement, and then subsequently assigned as the Custom Statement result. When the Custom Statement is saved, the correct type is not resolved and DEC is saved to both the PA_CUSTOM2.OPERAND3_PIC and ALIAS_FLD_PIC. The error message “Error in assignment – incompatible types” is returned. When only the Custom Statement record is updated to correct the problem, this error message is returned.

Hints

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Details

Message Set/Number: 16005,28042

Warning Message: ALIAS %5 VALUE FIELD TYPE DOES NOT MATCH ALIAS TYPE .- Calc:%1 Empl:%2 Plan:%3 FR:%4

Programs: PAPUALAF, PAPUALCS, PAPUALDB, PAPUALDT, PAPUALDU, PAPUALFR, PAPUALIP

Message Pointer: S-MSG-FLD-TYPE-MISMATCH-ALDB

Conditions

Attempt to place the resolved Alias value in an array fails because the data type of the resolved value does not match the data type configured and loaded from PA_ALIAS_USE.ALIAS_FLD_PIC.