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2.8.25 NM - numeric

A number represented as a series of ASCII numeric characters consisting of an optional leading sign ( + or -), the digits and an optional decimal point. In the absence of a sign, the number is assumed to be positive. If there is no decimal point the number is assumed to be an integer. Examples:

|999|
|-123.792|

Leading zeros, or trailing zeros after a decimal point, are not significant. For example, the following two values with different representations, "01.20" and "1.2", are identical. Except for the optional leading sign (+ or -) and the optional decimal point (.), no non-numeric ASCII characters are allowed. Thus, the value <12 should be encoded as a structured numeric (SN) (preferred) or as a string (ST) (allowed, but not preferred) data type.

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