Category: Cobol Faqs

Global variables are accessible only to the batch program whereas external variables can be referenced from any batch program residing in the same system library.

Identification division and Program ID are mandatory for a COBOL program.

An IN-LINE PERFORM Statement allows the routine being performed to be nested within the perform statement itself instead of being a seperate paragraph The PERFORM and END-PERFORM statements are used to block the cobol statements between them. In line PERFORM work as long as there are no internal GO TOs, not even to an exit.

Access modes are SEQUENTIAL or DYNAMIC for the start statement.

The linkage section is used to pass data from one program to another program or to pass data from a procedure to a program. It is part of a called program that maps to data items in the calling program’s working storage.

In the INPUT PROCEDURE, the input file is opened, records are read and edited and then are released to the sorting operation. Finally the file will be closed. [plain]RELEASE recordname FROM inputrecord[/plain] In the OUTPUT PROCEDURE, output file is opened, the sorted record is returned to the Output record and then the record will be…

Local-Storage is allocated each time the program is called and will be de-allocated when the program stops via an EXIT PROGRAM, GOBACK, or STOP RUN. It is defined in the DATA DIVISION after WORKING-STORAGE SECTION

Structured programming is logical way of programming where the functionalities are divided into modules and helps write the code logically. Object Oriented Cobol language is a Natural way of programming in which you identify the objects, and then write functions and procedures around that object.

ON SIZE ERROR option is raised when there is

REPLACING allows for the same copy to be used more than once in the same code by changing the replace value.