Cobol Mainframe Mania

1) What is the maximum value
that can be stored in S9(8)

COMP?
Article Number: 10018 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:02 AM 99999999
2) Can I redefine an X(200)

field with a field of X(100) ?
Article Number: 10006 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:35 AM Yes
3) How many bytes does a

S9(7) COMP-3 field occupy ?
Article Number: 10014 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:00 AM Will take 4 bytes.
Sign is stored as hex value in the last nibble.
General formula is INT((n/2) + 1)), where n=7 in this example.
4) What are the two cobol

verbs that are used in data
division? (one is COPY..what
is the other)
Article Number: 9744 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:11 AM
CALL is the statement used in the Data division
5) How to initialize a group

data which is containing
occur clause?
#.1 . Here is an example for how to initialize the normal group variable
.
ex : 01 ws-details .
02 ws-name a(10 ) .
02 ws-desig a(5) .
move spaces to ws-details .
#.2 . If occurs clase exist , here is the example
move all spaces to ws-details .
The only diff is we need put the " all " . Same can be done using
perform and repeting loop equal no of occur times .
6) What is the difference

between a binary search and
a sequential search? What
are the pertinent COBOL
commands?
In a binary search the table element key values must be in ascending
or descending sequence. The table is ’halved’ to search for equal to,
greater than or less than conditions until the element is found. In a
sequential search the table is searched from top to bottom, so
(ironically) the elements do not have to be in a specific sequence. The
binary search is much faster for larger tables, while sequential works
well with smaller ones. SEARCH ALL is used for binary searches;
SEARCH for sequential.
7) In the JCL, how do you

define the files referred to in
a subroutine ?
Supply the DD cards just as you would for files referred to in the main
program.
8) When would you use in-line

perform?
When the body of the perform will not be used in other paragraphs. If
the body of the perform is a generic type of code (used from various
other places in the program), it would be better to put the code in a
separate para and use PERFORM paraname rather than in-line perform.
9) 77 WS-AMT PIC ZZZ999. ADD

100 TO WS-AMT WILL RESULT
IN a) COMPILATION ERROR b)
SOC7 ERROR C) NO ERROR
Article Number: 9669 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:11 AM It will give
Compilation Error, because ws-amt is not numeric field so arithmetic operation cannot be
possible in ws-amt field
10) In FILE SECTION of a COBOL

programme, I have the
following line. RECORD
VARYING FROM 122 TO 160
DEPENDING ON
WS00_RECORD_LENGTH How
would the value of
WS00_RECORD_LENGTH found
out? Where will it be?
In this line you have to defined WS00_RECORD_LENGTH as S9(4) comp.
And when you write the statement:
READ FILE-NAME
this variable automatically get the record length in this variable.
11) What is AMODE(24),

AMODE(31), RMODE(24) and
RMODE(ANY)? ( applicable to
only MVS/ESA Enterprise
Server).
These are compile/link edit options.
AMODE - Addressing mode. RMODE - Residency mode.
AMODE(24) - 24 bit addressing. AMODE(31) - 31 bit addressing.
AMODE(ANY) - Either 24 bit or 31 bit addressing depending on RMODE.
RMODE(24) - Resides in virtual storage below 16 Meg line. Use this for
31 bit programs that call 24 bit programs. (OS/VS Cobol pgms use 24
bit addresses only).
RMODE(ANY) - Can reside above or below 16 Meg line.

between STOP & STOP RUN ?
Stop statement provides a means to temporarily suspend execution of
an object program...wheares STOP used with RUN causes the entire
run unit to cease execution when it is encountered....
13) 1) Is more than one record

description is allowed in a
FD? 2) Is NUMERIC EDIT fields
can be used for Arithmatic
operations? 3) Is COMPUTE
P,Q,W = A<plus> B/C -E ** 2 is
a valid statement? 4) Is
LINKAGE SECTION is
mandatory in a sub program?
Article Number: 9724 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 6:35 AM 1) YES (In case of
variable length records different records of different length must be described in more
than one RDs)
(2)NO(never)
(3)NO(commas b/w P Q & w is not allowed)
(4)NO (A command known as EXTERNAL cammand can be used to share variables b/w
main & sub prog. in that case linkage section is not required)
(5)don’t remember
(6)8 bytes
(7)normally 18 but by some method that can be extended
14) 77 I PI 9. PERFORM
VARYING I FROM 1 BY 1
UNTIL>10 DISPLAY ’OK’ END-
PERFORM. What output/msg
is likely when this program is
executed thru JCL?
Article Number: 9672 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:12 AM This loop will give
compilation error becoz value of I is declared for only one digit , when loop reaches to 10
it will find mismatching b/w I & the current value i.e. 10.
15) what is meant by abbend
and what is the difference
between abbend and error.
when does and why dose it
come. what are the types?
Article Number: 9680 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:21 AM Abend is short for
Abnormal end, abend is a term used to describe when a program or task ends without
warning. Generally when an abend is encountered the user will receive some type of error
message.
Error occurs because of Syntax problems or dataset disposition issues etc, whereas Abend
occurs because of some functional problems
Types:
SB37 - End of Volume
SE37 - Maximum extents reached
S013 - Member not found
S80A - Region limit violation
16) Can we reverse the string

in cobol ? See the following
problem : 77 NAME PIC X(10)
VALUE ’MANOJ’ 77 SRNAME
PIC X(10). I want JONAM in
SRNAME.
we can reverse the string using cobol prog like this :
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. MID.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 STR1 PIC X(7) VALUE IS ’MANOJ’.
01 STR2 PIC X(1).
01 STR3 PIC X(7) VALUE SPACE.
*01 STR4 PIC X(7).
01 STRLEN PIC 9(1).
01 CTR1 PIC 9(1) VALUE IS 1.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
INSPECT STR1 TALLYING STRLEN FOR CHARACTERS.
DISPLAY STRLEN.
PERFORM UNTIL STRLEN < 1
MOVE STR1(STRLEN:1) TO STR2

DISPLAY STR2
STRING
STR3 DELIMITED BY SPACE
STR2 DELIMITED BY SPACE
INTO STR3
COMPUTE STRLEN = STRLEN - 1
DISPLAY STR3
END-PERFORM.
DISPLAY STR3.
STOP RUN.
Through cobol intrinsic function REVERSE also we can do it.
Identification division.
program-id. rev.
data division.
working-storage section.
77 str1 pic x(5).
77 revstr pic x(5).
procedure division.
display "enter string".
accept str.
move function reverse(str) to revstr.
display revstr.
stop run.
17) 77 CTR PIC S9(4)V99 VALUE

-1234.55. What will be output
of the statement DISPLAY
CTR?
Article Number: 9721 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:43 AM CTR will be
"12345N" becoz the given value is negative and minus sign will be store in right most
digit.
18) What is file status 92?

Article Number: 10026 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:08 AM Logic error. e.g., a
file is opened for input and an attempt is made to write to it.
19) Someone plz. show me

paths......... 1) What is the
difference between write &
move in COBOL.? 2) What is
the meaning of ’TALLING’
verb in cobol? 3) What is the
meaning of ’Eject’ verb in
cobol?
write means u r inserting records in to a file
move means u r passing data from one variable to another
for exp a=10 b=0
move a to b
now b=10.
write record name
here u r inserting records into file.
talling is to be used for word counting

20) How can we pass data from
cobol to JCl?
Article Number: 9691 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:28 AM We can pass data
from Cobol to JCL through registers of procedure division.
21) Plz tell me how to

read/write records form
bottom frm a sequential file
in cobol?
Article Number: 9729 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:53 AM You can define the
file as
READ <FILE-NAME> PRIOR RECORD.
had this been next record, you could have written
READ <FILE-NAME> NEXT RECORD.

between CONTINUE & NEXT
SENTENCE ?
Article Number: 10041 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:45 AM CONTINUE is
like a null statement (do nothing) , while NEXT SENTENCE transfers control to the next
sentence
23) What are the type of comp

usage?
COMP Usage is used for data items of numeric type. There are 4 types
of COMP usage.
1.COMP : Used only for integers.Either half word or full word .
2.COMP -1 :Used for floating points.Internal representation is hexa
decimal.full word is used.No PIC Clause .
3.COMP -2 : Similar to COMP-1.Only difference is double word(8 bytes )
is used
4.COMP -3 :Interenal representation is decimal.Each character is
assinged to half byte.The sign bit is assinged to right most bit. The
no.of bytes required for n characters is (n/2) + 1 (rounding down)
24) How many bytes will a

S9(8) COMP field occupy ?
Article Number: 10017 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:01 AM 4 bytes.
25) How you can read the file

from bottom?
Article Number: 9686 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:24 AM The questions is
very general. Let’s look into these possibilities:
1. QSAM (sequential) file. You can run it thru SORT utility adding SEQNUM and then
sort then sort by SEQNUM in DESC order
2. VSAM: In CICS, you can read backward using READREV; i
3. VSAM: I Batch, unload the VSAM file using SORT in DESC order by
key value
26) Can we fetch/ select in

working storage section
varibales directly without
using the host variables?
Article Number: 9734 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:00 AM Yes we can
27) Can Redefines clause be
used in File section, if yes at
which level number ?
Article Number: 9745 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:12 AM The REDEFINES
clause cannot be used in a level 01 entry in the File Section.
28) What is COMP-1? COMP-2?

Article Number: 10012 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:58 AM COMP-1 - Single
precision floating point. Uses 4 bytes.
COMP-2 - Double precision floating point. Uses 8 bytes.
29) How many bytes does a

S9(7) SIGN TRAILING
SEPARATE field occupy ?
Article Number: 10016 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:01 AM Will occupy 8
bytes (one extra byte for sign).
30) What are the differences

between OS VS COBOL and VS
COBOL II?
Article Number: 10035 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:18 AM OS/VS Cobol
pgms can only run in 24 bit addressing mode, VS COBOL II pgms can run either in 24
bit or 31 bit addressing modes.
Report writer is supported only in OS/VS Cobol.
USAGE IS POINTER is supported only in VS COBOL II.
Reference modification e.g.: WS-VAR(1:2) is supported only in VS COBOL II.
EVALUATE is supported only in VS COBOL II.
Scope terminators are supported only in VS COBOL II.
OS/VS Cobol follows ANSI 74 standards while VS COBOL II follows ANSI 85
standards.
Under CICS Calls between VS COBOL II programs are supported.
31) How may do the following
definitions occupy? (a)
s(3)v99 comp-3 (b) s(9)v99
comp
Poor syntax. S9(3)V99 is correct and occupies 3 bytes. Count the
number of 9’s add 1 and divide by 2 rounding up if necessary. ex.
S9(7)v99. there are 9 nines. (9+1)/2 = 5 bytes.
S9(6)V99. there are 8 nines (8+1)/2 = 4.5 = 5 bytes.
binary data (COMP) has no fractions, integers only.
32) 1) Without execution cobol

program how to see output?
2) How to rename input
filename and outputfile
name? 3) Wat is flag? 4) What
is impact analysis what basis
how will you write test cases?
5) How you sea output of cics
command? 6) How are dat
Article Number: 10052 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 10:00 AM According to my
knowledge,
1) You cannot see the output of a program unless you have executed the program. but
You can see the results of a CICS pgm using INTERTEST.
2) I DONT KNOW
3) Flags would be assigned a value based on some condition. While using it for some
processing, there is no need to calculating every time. u can calculate one time and keep
the decision saved in a varibale. this can be used multiple times.
4) Say you are changing a module, this module may be interacting with many other
modules or the results of this module may be used by some other module. Any changes
done for some bug fix in this module should not change the functionality of any module.
This is main purpose of Imapct analysis.
To write the test cases, we need to be aware of the functioanlity of the module and the
working of the module.
5)Intertest while testing.....
6) //DDNAME DD DSN=file1. file,DISP=SHR
// DD DSN=file2.file, DISP=SHR
// DD DSN=file3.file, DISP=SHR
33) What is a bind?

A bind associates record types with the program work area; for run unit
and records it is the first command issued in the program.
Binding is a process that creates the access path logic for the sql
statements within a cobol program. after precompilation of a cobol
program a dbrm(has all the embedded sql statements) is created. This
dbrm is then bound to form a plan(executable form of the sql
statements).
34) I submitted the batch job in

jcl and i went to my home.the
next day i came and i want to
see 1- job submitted time. 2-
job execution time. 3- cpu
time from TSO option but not
into the jcl itself. tell me TSO
option for this.
There is no TSO option for that.Go to your spool and check for the
details of the job
35) How to include system time

& date in the report
generation in cobol
programing?
ACCEPT WS-ACCEPT-DATE FROM DATE.
ACCEPT WS-ACCEPT-TIME FROM TIME.
declare ws-accept-date and ws-accept-time in working-storage section
36) In a COBOL II PERFORM

statement, when is the
conditional tested, before or
after the perform execution?
Article Number: 9749 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:14 AM If you coded test
before the cond is 1st checked then perform statement will execute where as in test after
the perform statement will execute 1st then the cond is checked

between NEXT SENTENCE and
CONTINUE?
Article Number: 9951 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 7:45 AM NEXT SENTENCE
gives control to the verb following the next period. CONTINUE gives control to the next
verb after the explicit scope terminator. (This is not one of COBOL II’s finer
implementations). It’s safest to use CONTINUE rather than NEXT SENTENCE in
COBOL II.
38) What is a junction record?

A junction record is a member record type that allows for many-to-
many relationship between its two owner records. For a school
database the CLASS record is a junction for the TEACHER and SUBJECT
record types
39) How do you define a

table/array in COBOL?
Article Number: 9988 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:16 AM 01 ARRAYS.
05 ARRAY1 PIC X(9) OCCURS 10 TIMES.
05 ARRAY2 PIC X(6) OCCURS 20 TIMES INDEXED BY WS-INDEX.
40) What is the maximum size

of a 01 level item in in COBOL
II?
16777215
41) What is te difference

between Call and Link in
cobol?
Article Number: 10050 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:59 AM A Cobol Call can
be done from a batch or a CICS program and is used to pass and receive data back from
another cobol program. CALL XPDF321 USING PDF321-LK. would be a dynamic call
(resolved at execution time),
CALL ’XPDF321’ USING PDF321-LK would be a static call resolved when the program
is compiled. A call from a CICS program would be outside of CICS since it does not
involve the exec cics command.
A link is a CICS command and is used to pass data to and receive data from a CICS
program. data is passed in the CICS commarea.
42) How include time & date in

the report generation in cobol
programing?
This can be done in 2 ways, 1 is u can enter the date by user itself or u
can excpet date form system into requried formate date/time variable,
then u can get time and day into urreport generation file
43) What does a ROLLBACK do?

It rolls back (reverses) all database updates to the point of the last
rollback or to the beginning of the run-unit.
44) What does the INITIALIZE

verb do? ?
Alphabetic, Alphanumeric fields & alphanumeric edited items are set to
SPACES.
Numeric, Numeric edited items set to ZERO.
FILLER , OCCURS DEPENDING ON items left untouched.

between performing a
SECTION and a PARAGRAPH?
Article Number: 9995 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:25 AM Performing a
SECTION will cause all the paragraphs that are part of the section, to be performed.
Performing a PARAGRAPH will cause only that paragraph to be performed.
46) How do you come out of an

EVALUATE statement?
Article Number: 9998 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:28 AM After the execution
of one of the when clauses, the control is automatically passed on to the next sentence
after the EVALUATE statement. There is no need of any extra code.
47) Can I redefine an X(100)

field with a field of X(200)?
Article Number: 10005 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:34 AM Yes. Redefines
just causes both fields to start at the same location. For example:
01 WS-TOP PIC X(1)
01 WS-TOP-RED REDEFINES WS-TOP PIC X(2).
If you MOVE ’12’ to WS-TOP-RED,
DISPLAY WS-TOP will show 1 while
DISPLAY WS-TOP-RED will show 12.
48) What do you do to resolve

SOC-7 error?
Basically you need to correct the offending data.
Many times the reason for SOC7 is an un-initialized numeric item.
Examine that possibility first.
Many installations provide you a dump for run time abends (it can be
generated also by calling some subroutines or OS services thru
assembly language). These dumps provide the offset of the last
instruction at which the abend occurred. Examine the compilation
output XREF listing to get the verb and the line number of the source
code at this offset. Then you can look at the source code to find the
bug. To get capture the runtime dumps, you will have to define some
datasets (SYSABOUT etc ) in the JCL.
If none of these are helpful, use judgment and DISPLAY to localize the
source of error.
Some installation might have batch program debugging tools. Use
them.
49) How is sign stored in a

COMP field ?
Article Number: 10010 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:57 AM In the most
significant bit. Bit is on if -ve, off if +ve.

between COMP & COMP-3 ?
COMP is a binary storage format while COMP-3 is packed decimal
format.
51) How do you define a

variable of COMP-1? COMP-2?
No picture clause to be given. Example 01 WS-VAR USAGE COMP-1.
52) What is file status 39 ?

Article Number: 10027 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:09 AM Mismatch in
LRECL or BLOCKSIZE or RECFM between your COBOL program & the JCL (or the
dataset label). You will get file status 39 on an OPEN.
53) What is RESIDENT

progamme
A RESIDENT program is one that is loaded into the CICS cashe. This will
improve the performance of the application by not having to re-load
them into memory.
54) How to remove the
duplicate records present in a
PS dataset using JCL?
Article Number: 10056 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 10:04 AM Just use this code.
//sysin dd *
sort fields=COPY
SUMFIELDS=NONE
/*
By using this we could remove the duplicate records from PS dataset.
55) So manual and automatic

are the connect options for a
set. What are the disconnect
options.
Article Number: 9694 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:30 AM Mandatory and
optional.
56) When you are obtaining

next within a set and get a
end of set return code, on
what record are you now
current?
Article Number: 9700 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:35 AM You are current on
the owner.
57) Is there a application
program coding difference
between local and central
version mode?
Article Number: 9702 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:37 AM No. The mode is
specified via the SYSCTL DD card in the JCL.
58) What is LENGTH in COBOL

II?
Article Number: 9743 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:09 AM LENGTH acts like
a special register to tell the length of a group or elementary item.

of the variable length record?
Article Number: 9746 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:12 AM The size of Variable
Length Record changes from Computer to Computer, so there is no specific limit.
4096k is the max variable length record
60) Explain call by context by

comparing it to other calls.
I think this Q&A should say "CONTENT" rather than "context".
61) What is an in line

PERFORM? When would you
use it? Anything else to say
about it?
Article Number: 9754 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:18 AM The PERFORM and
END-PERFORM statements bracket all COBOL II statements between them. The
COBOL equivalent is to PERFORM or PERFORM THRU a paragraph. In line
PERFORMs work as long as there are no internal GO TOs, not even to an exit. The in
line PERFORM for readability should not exceed a page length - often it will reference
other PERFORM paragraph
62) What COBOL construct is

the COBOL II EVALUATE meant
to replace?
Article Number: 9952 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 7:46 AM EVALUATE can be
used in place of the nested IF THEN ELSE statements.
63) What is the linkage

section?
Article Number: 9954 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 7:49 AM The linkage section
is part of a called program that ’links’ or maps to data items in the calling program’s
working storage. It is the part of the called program where these share items are defined.

between comp and comp-3
usage? Explain other COBOL
usages.
COMP
Comp is used for Binary Representation
it allows only S and 9 ...
s9(01) to s9(04) it takes 2 bytes memory

COMP-3
Comp-3 is used for Packed Decimal values
it allows S,9 ,V
mostly it is useful for Decimal Caluculation Values
it takes (n/2)+1 Bytes Memory
65) What is SET TO TRUE all

about, anyway?
Article Number: 9958 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 7:52 AM The set to true is
done for 88 level variables to set that flag
For eg: 05 ws-change-flag pic x(1).
88 ws-chg value ’Y’
88 ws-no-chg value ’N’
when set ws-chg to true is done then ws-change-flag contains value ’Y’ .It is same as
move ’Y’ to ws-change-flag
If the statement is set ws-no-chg to true then ws-change-flag contains value ’N’.It is same
is move ’N’ to ws-change-flag
At one point of time only one flag can be set.
66) Explain the difference

between record occurrence
and record type.
A record occurrence is the instances of a record; it is the smallest
addressable unit of data. A type is the description of a record; there
need not be any occurrences
67) Name and explain the three

location modes.
Calc is based on a symbolic value which is used to determine the
target page. Via mode is for members only. Via records are stored near
to their owners. In direct mode the target is specified by the user and
is stored as close as possible to that page
68) What does a store

statement do?
It places a record in the database based on the location mode
specified.
69) How do you define a sort

file in JCL that runs the
COBOL program?
Use the SORTWK01, SORTWK02,..... dd names in the step. Number of
sort datasets depends on the volume of data being sorted, but a
minimum of 3 is required.

between CONTINUE & NEXT
SENTENCE?
Article Number: 10003 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:33 AM CONTINUE is
like a null statement (do nothing) , while NEXT SENTENCE transfers control to the next
sentence (!!) (A sentence is terminated by a period)
71) What does EXIT do?
Does nothing! If used, must be the only sentence within a paragraph.
72) How is sign stored in

Packed Decimal fields and
Zoned Decimal fields?
Packed Decimal fields: Sign is stored as a hex value in the last nibble
(4 bits ) of the storage.
Zoned Decimal fields: As a default, sign is over punched with the
numeric value stored in the last bite.
73) How do you reference the

following file formats from
COBOL programs:
Fixed Block File - Use ORGANISATION IS SEQUENTIAL. Use RECORDING
MODE IS F, BLOCK CONTAINS 0 .
Fixed Unblocked - Use ORGANISATION IS SEQUENTIAL. Use
RECORDING MODE IS F, do not use BLOCK CONTAINS
Variable Block File - Use ORGANISATION IS SEQUENTIAL. Use
RECORDING MODE IS V, BLOCK CONTAINS 0. Do not code the 4 bytes
for record length in FD ie JCL rec length will be max rec length in pgm
+4
Variable Unblocked - Use ORGANISATION IS SEQUENTIAL. Use
RECORDING MODE IS V, do not use BLOCK CONTAINS. Do not code 4
bytes for record length in FD ie JCL rec length will be max rec length in
pgm + 4.
ESDS VSAM file - Use ORGANISATION IS SEQUENTIAL.
KSDS VSAM file - Use ORGANISATION IS INDEXED, RECORD KEY IS,
ALTERNATE RECORD KEY IS
RRDS File - Use ORGANISATION IS RELATIVE, RELATIVE KEY IS
Printer File - Use ORGANISATION IS SEQUENTIAL. Use RECORDING
MODE IS F, BLOCK CONTAINS 0. (Use RECFM=FBA in JCL DCB).
74) What is SSRANGE,
NOSSRANGE?
Article Number: 10032 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:15 AM These are compiler
options w.r.t subscript out of range checking. NOSSRANGE is the default and if chosen,
no run time error will be flagged if your index or subscript goes out of the permissible
range.
75) What are the steps you go

through while creating a
COBOL program executable?
DB2 precompiler (if embedded sql used), CICS translator (if CICS
program), COBOL compiler, Link editor.
If DB2 program, create plan by binding the DBRMs.
76) What is Static,Dynamic

linking ?
Article Number: 10043 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:49 AM In static linking,
the called subroutine is link-edited into the calling program , while in dynamic linking,
the subroutine & the main program will exist as separate load modules. You choose
static/dynamic linking by choosing either the DYNAM or NODYNAM link edit option.
(Even if you choose NODYNAM, a CALL identifier (as opposed to a CALL literal), will
translate to a DYNAMIC call).
A statically called subroutine will not be in its initial state the next time it is called unless
you explicitly use INITIAL or you do a CANCEL. A dynamically called routine will
always be in its initial state.
77) Can we use redefine clause

in occurs clause?
Yes we can use redefines clause in occurs clauseeg:01 number1 pic
x(10) value spaces.01 number2 redefines number1 pic x occurs 10
times.
78) suppose i have array of 10

elemnts in it how to acess 5
element from the arrayusing
supscript and index
if you have an array with 10 elements like this :
int a[] = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10};
To access the 5th element, you need to write a[4]. Because, Array
index starts from 0. In this case 0th element is 1, 1st element is 2.. etc
79) Can Redefines clause be

used at 01 level ?
Redefines clause can be used at 01 Level. However the variable you
are Redefining must also be declared at the Level. Infact only at 01
level you can redefine a part of the variable instead of having to
Redefine for the entire length.
80) If the stored record is not

defined as automatic of a set,
how can it be stored as a
member of the set.
Store the record then connect it to each set where it is a manual
member.
81) What does a status return
code of nn29 mean in relation
to record locks.
Article Number: 9697 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:33 AM nn29 means that
two run units are waiting to set locks on the same record and are in deadlock.
82) What is an area sweep and

when is it used?
Article Number: 9698 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:33 AM An area sweep
accesses records on the basis of the physical location in a database area. It can be total,
meaning a record by record search of the area, or it can be of occurrences of records of a
specific type.
83) If you are current on the

owner of a set, what is the
difference between an obtain
next and obtain first?
No difference. There is a difference between obtain first and obtain
next for an area sweep, but not when current on the owner in a set.
84) Is it possible that the

REDEFINES clause has
different picture clauses
compared to the one it
redefined?
well, generally it is not possible.
Yes, we can have different PIC clauses.
Eg:
05 REGULAR-EMPLOYEE.
10 LOCATION PICTURE A(8).
10 GRADE PICTURE X(4).
10 SEMI-MONTHLY-PAY PICTURE 9999V99.
10 WEEKLY-PAY REDEFINES SEMI-MONTHLY-PAY
PICTURE 999V999.
05 TEMPORARY-EMPLOYEE REDEFINES REGULAR-EMPLOYEE.
10 LOCATION PICTURE A(8).
10 FILLER PICTURE X(6).
10 HOURLY-PAY PICTURE 99V99.
85) 77 CTR PIC S9(4)V99 VALUE

1234.55. What will be output
of the statement DISPLAY
CTR?
Display CTR will contain 12345E coz +ve sign will be stored on
rightmost digit
86) What is the logical

difference b/w Move A TO B
and COMPUTE B = A.
In case of Move A TO B it will move whatever the value of a in to b.
it mean it will move numeric, alphanumeric and alphabatic value.
In case of COMPUTE B = A it will assign the vale of a in to b.
but in case of compute only numeric value will be compute.

of table space?
A tablespace is not a COBOL concept it’s pure DB2. In version 8 of DB2
using a partitioned tablespace with 4096 partitions and a page size of
32K, the table space can reach 128 Tb. (that’s terabytes, 128 trillion,
128 million gigabytes, 128,000,000,000,000 bytes) pretty big.

between a subscript and an
index in a table definition?
Article Number: 9735 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:03 AM A subscript is a
working storage data definition item, typically a PIC (999) where a value must be moved
to the subscript and then incremented or decremented by ADD TO and SUBTRACT
FROM statements. An index is a register item that exists outside the program’s working
storage. You SET an index to a value and SET it UP BY value and DOWN BY value
89) Explain the difference

between an internal and an
external sort, the pros and
cons, internal sort syntax etc.
Article Number: 9736 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 2:04 AM External sort is
performed by SORT pgm. Internal sort gives you data handling flexibility and it takes
less secondary memory. For huge Volume of files it’s better to use internal sort else large
amount of space will be required in external sort. any comments...?
90) If you were passing a table

via linkage, which is
preferable - a subscript or an
index?
Please don’t forget that u cannot pass a Index via linkage section as it
is not defined in the working storage section. It is something defined
by the system.
91) What is an explicit scope

terminator?
Terminators like END-PEROFRM END-EVALUTE are called explicit scope
terminaotr available in COBOL 85.
92) When is a scope terminator

mandatory?
Article Number: 9956 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 7:51 AM Scope terminators
are mandatory for in-line PERFORMS and EVALUATE statements. For readability, it’s
recommended coding practice to always make scope terminators explicit.
What is the default value(s) for

an INITIALIZE and what
keyword allows for an
override of the default.
Article Number: 9957 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 7:51 AM INITIALIZE moves
spaces to alphabetic fields and zeros to alphanumeric fields. The REPLACING option
can be used to override these defaults.
What is the point of the

REPLACING option of a copy
statement?
Article Number: 9960 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 7:54 AM COPY AR00RB
REPLACING ==:AR00:== BY ==AMBS==.
AR00RB COPY BOOK AS FOLLOWS AS (iam copying only few lines of code)
01 :AR00:RB-WORK-AREA
03 :AR00:RB-IO-REQUEST PIC S9(04) BINARY

VALUE ZERO
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-INPUT VALUE +01.
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-OUTPUT VALUE +02.
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-IO VALUE +03.
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-INPUT- DYN VALUE +04.
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-OUTPUT-DYN VALUE +05.
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-IO-DYN VALUE +06.
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-INPUT-RDM VALUE +07.
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-OUTPUT-RDM VALUE +08.
88 :AR00:RB-OPEN-IO-RDM VALUE +09.
88 :AR00:RB-START-GTE VALUE +10.
Here that copy statement replace with AMBS in place :AR00:
What is the default value(s) for

an INITIALIZE and what
keyword allows for an
override of the default.
Article Number: 9957 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 7:51 AM INITIALIZE moves
spaces to alphabetic fields and zeros to alphanumeric fields. The REPLACING option
can be used to override these defaults.
How many dimensions does

cobol have ? Why cobol is
written in coding sheet? Why
is the cobol program used? is
it still in use? is it for
business purpose?
Yes, COBOL is for business use.
Yes, it is still in use.
COBOL programs are used bcoz it is business oriented language, more

flexible, easy to code and easy to understand.
COBOL sheet is depends on editor and compiler.
What is a set? What pointers

are required, what are
possible? How may sets be
ordered?
Article Number: 9970 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:01 AM A set is an owner
record and, optionally, its member records. There are three types of pointers: next, prior
and owner, but only next is required. There are five possible orders for arrangements of
sets; they are: first - insert at beginning, last - insert at end of set, next - insert after
current of set, prior - insert prior to current of set and sorted - insert according to sort
value.
What does a COMMIT

statement do?
Article Number: 9972 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:04 AM It writes a
checkpoint to the Journal File and releases any record locks.
What is the meaning of the
return codes 0307 and 0326?
0307 is end-of-set and 0326 is record not found.
0307 is end-of-set and 0326 is record not found.
What is currency?
Article Number: 9981 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:11 AM The old joke -
where the programmer thinks he is, but the DBMS knows he is not. Currency is the
location within the database during run-unit execution. There are four levels of currency:
current of run-unit is the record occurrence of the last successful find or obtain; current of
record type is for the most recent of each record type; current of record set is the most
recent within each set and current of area is within each area.
What are the different data

types available in COBOL?
Article Number: 9983 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:13 AM Alpha-numeric (X),
alphabetic (A) and numeric (9)
What is 77 level used for ?

Article Number: 9985 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:14 AM Elementary level
item. Cannot be subdivisions of other items (cannot be qualified), nor can they be
subdivided themselves.
What is the difference between

index and subscript?
Subscript refers to the array occurrence while index is the
displacement (in no of bytes) from the beginning of the array. An index
can only be modified using PERFORM, SEARCH & SET.
Need to have index for a table in order to use SEARCH, SEARCH ALL.
What should be the sorting

order for SEARCH ALL?
It can be either ASCENDING or DESCENDING. ASCENDING is default. If
you want the search to be done on an array sorted in descending
order, then while defining the array, you should give DESCENDING KEY
clause. (You must load the table in the specified order).
What is binary search?

Search on a sorted array. Compare the item to be searched with the
item at the center. If it matches, fine else repeat the process with the
left half or the right half depending on where the item lies.
14. My program has an array defined to have 10 items. Due to a bug, I
find that even if the program access the 11th item in this array, the
program does not abend. What is wrong with it?
Must use compiler option SSRANGE if you want array bounds checking.
Default is NOSSRANGE.
How do you sort in a COBOL

program? Give sort file
definition, sort statement
syntax and meaning.
Syntax:
SORT file-1 ON ASCENDING/DESCENDING KEY key....
USING file-2
GIVING file-3.
USING can be substituted by INPUT PROCEDURE IS para-1 THRU para-2
GIVING can be substituted by OUTPUT PROCEDURE IS para-1 THRU
para-2.
file-1 is the sort work file and must be described using SD entry in FILE
SECTION.
file-2 is the input file for the SORT and must be described using an FD
entry in FILE SECTION and SELECT clause in FILE CONTROL.
file-3 is the out file from the SORT and must be described using an FD
entry in FILE SECTION and SELECT clause in FILE CONTROL.
file-1, file-2 & file-3 should not be opened explicitly.
INPUT PROCEDURE is executed before the sort and records must be
RELEASEd to the sort work file from the input procedure.
OUTPUT PROCEDURE is executed after all records have been sorted.
Records from the sort work file must be RETURNed one at a time to the
output procedure.
What are the different forms of

EVALUATE statement?
EVALUATE EVALUATE SQLCODE ALSO FILE-STATUS
WHEN A=B AND C=D WHEN 100 ALSO ’00’
imperative stmt imperative stmt
WHEN (D+X)/Y = 4 WHEN -305 ALSO ’32’
WHEN OTHER WHEN OTHER
END-EVALUATE END-EVALUATE
EVALUATE SQLCODE ALSO A=B EVALUATE SQLCODE ALSO TRUE
WHEN 100 ALSO TRUE WHEN 100 ALSO A=B
WHEN -305 ALSO FALSE WHEN -305 ALSO (A/C=4)
END-EVALUATE END-EVALUATE
In an EVALUATE statement, can

I give a complex condition on
a when clause?
Article Number: 9999 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:29 AM Yes
What is a scope terminator?
Give examples.
Scope terminator is used to mark the end of a verb e.g. EVALUATE,
END-EVALUATE; IF, END-IF.
How do you do in-line

PERFORM?
Article Number: 10001 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:31 AM PERFORM ... ...
END PERFORM
How is sign stored in a comp-3

field?
It is stored in the last nibble. For example if your number is +100, it
stores hex 0C in the last byte, hex 1C if your number is 101, hex 2C if
your number is 102, hex 1D if the number is -101, hex 2D if the
number is -102 etc..
What is COMP SYNC?

Article Number: 10019 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:03 AM Causes the item to
be aligned on natural boundaries. Can be SYNCHRONIZED LEFT or RIGHT.
For binary data items, the address resolution is faster if they are located at word
boundaries in the memory. For example, on main frame the memory word size is 4 bytes.
This means that each word will start from an address divisible by 4. If my first variable is
x(3) and next
one is s9(4) comp, then if you do not specify the SYNC clause, S9(4) COMP will start
from byte 3 ( assuming that it starts from 0 ). If you specify SYNC, then the binary data
item will start from address 4. You might see some wastage of memory, but the access to
this
computational field is faster.
Can you REWRITE a record in
an ESDS file? Can you DELETE
a record from it?
Can rewrite (record length must be same), but not delete.
What is Static, Dynamic

linking?
In static linking, the called subroutine is link-edited into the calling
program, while in dynamic linking, the subroutine & the main program
will exist as separate load modules. You choose static/dynamic linking
by choosing either the DYNAM or NODYNAM link edit option. (Even if
you choose NODYNAM, a CALL identifier (as opposed to a CALL literal),
will translate to a DYNAMIC call).
A statically called subroutine will not be in its initial state the next time
it is called unless you explicitly use INITIAL or you do a CANCEL. A
dynamically called routine will always be in its initial state.
What is AMODE(24),
AMODE(31), RMODE(24) and
RMODE(ANY)? ( applicable to
only
Article Number: 10029 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:11 AM These are
compile/link edit optio
What compiler option would
you use for dynamic linking?
Article Number: 10031 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 9:15 AM DYNAM.
How do you set a return code

to the JCL from a COBOL
program?
Move a value to RETURN-CODE register. RETURN-CODE should not be
declared in your program.
How can you submit a job from

COBOL programs?
Write JCL cards to a dataset with
//xxxxxxx SYSOUT=(A,INTRDR) where ’A’ is output class, and dataset
should be opened for output in the program. Define a 80 byte record
layout for the file.
What is difference between

comp & comp-4?
Article Number: 10058 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 10:05 AM comp is :- 1 TO 4
= 2 BYTES,5 TO 9 = 4 BYTES,10 TO 18 = 8 BYTES.
comp-4 :- maximum limit is 9(18) and it is taking according to the
pic Clause.
What does the INITIALIZE verb
do?
Alphabetic, Alphanumeric fields & alphanumeric edited items are set to
SPACES.
Numeric, Numeric edited items set to ZERO.
Fillers, Occurs DEPENDING ON items left untouched.
Can you call an OS VS COBOL

program from a VS COBOL II
program?
In non-CICS environment, it is possible. In CICS, this is not possible.
What are different file OPEN

modes available in COBOL? a
Open for INPUT, OUTPUT, I-O, EXTEND.
What is the use of EVALUATE

statement?
Article Number: 9996 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:27 AM Evaluate is like a
case statement and can be used to replace nested Ifs. The difference between
EVALUATE and case is that no ’break’ is required for EVALUATE i.e. control comes
out of the EVALUATE as soon as one match is made.
What is the difference between
SEARCH and SEARCH ALL?
Article Number: 9990 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:21 AM SEARCH - is a
serial search.
SEARCH ALL - is a binary search & the table must be sorted
( ASCENDING/DESCENDING KEY clause to be used & data loaded in this order)
before usingSEARCH ALL.
What sets will the stored

record connect to?
Article Number: 9980 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 8:09 AM It will connect to all
sets where it is defined as an automatic member. The store requires that currency be
established for all these set occurrences.
In the example below 05 WS-

VAR1 PIC X(5) 05 WS-VAR2
REDEFINES WA-VAR1 PIC 9(5).
PROCEDURE DIVISION MOVE
’ABCDE’ TO WS-VAR1. now
what is the value of WS-VAR1
and WS-VAR2 ?
ws-va2 is redefined with wa-var1,where wa-var1 is not decalred,then it
will b a error.
if it is typo error and ws-va2 is redefined to ws-va1,then both the

values will b abcde :-)
What are the HIGH Values,LOW
values and where we can
use?
HIGH-VALUES and LOW-VALUES are figurative constants. In HIGH-
VALUES, all the bits in the byte are on ie:FFFFFFFFIn LOW-VALUES, all
the bits in the byte are off. ie. 00000000.I’ve mostly see it used in
sequential updating of a master file.
What are the types of record

locks and how are they set?
Locks may be shared or exclusive. Shared means that other run units
can retrieve the record but can not modify it. Exclusive means that
other run units can neither retrieve nor modify it. Recordlocks may be
implicit or explicit. Implicit locks are set in the ready statement usage
clause. Explicit locks are set using either the keep statement or keep
option of the find/obtain command.
How are record locks released?

Article Number: 9682 | Last Updated: Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:22 AM Locks are released
by a change in currency or by a commit, rollback or finish command.
I have a variable x(20), but i

need the out as in two ways
1.12300000000000000000
2.123-----------------
2nd option for 12300000000000000000
01 a pic x(20) value ’123’.
procedure division.
inspect a replacing all space by zero.
display a.
2nd question for 123-----------------
01 a pic x(20) value ’123’.
procedure division.
inspect a replacing all space by ’-’.
display a.
What does the IS NUMERIC

clause establish ?
IS NUMERIC can be used on alphanumeric items, signed numeric &
packed decimal items and usigned numeric & packed decimal items. IS
NUMERIC returns TRUE if the item only consists of 0-9. However, if the
item being tested is a signed item, then it may contain 0-9, + and - .

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1) What is the maximum value

that can be stored in S9(8)

2) Can I redefine an X(200)

3) How many bytes does a

4) What are the two cobol

5) How to initialize a group

move spaces to ws-details .

#.2 . If occurs clase exist , here is the example

move all spaces to ws-details .

6) What is the difference

7) In the JCL, how do you

8) When would you use in-line

9) 77 WS-AMT PIC ZZZ999. ADD

10) In FILE SECTION of a COBOL

And when you write the statement:

this variable automatically get the record length in this variable.

11) What is AMODE(24),

12) What is the difference

13) 1) Is more than one record

(3)NO(commas b/w P Q & w is not allowed)

(7)normally 18 but by some method that can be extended

16) Can we reverse the string

MOVE STR1(STRLEN:1) TO STR2

17) 77 CTR PIC S9(4)V99 VALUE

18) What is file status 92?

19) Someone plz. show me

move means u r passing data from one variable to another

for exp a=10 b=0

write record name

here u r inserting records into file.

talling is to be used for word counting

21) Plz tell me how to

READ <FILE-NAME> PRIOR RECORD.

had this been next record, you could have written

READ <FILE-NAME> NEXT RECORD.

22) What is the difference

23) What are the type of comp

24) How many bytes will a

25) How you can read the file

2. VSAM: In CICS, you can read backward using READREV; i

26) Can we fetch/ select in

28) What is COMP-1? COMP-2?

29) How many bytes does a

30) What are the differences

S9(7)v99. there are 9 nines. (9+1)/2 = 5 bytes.

S9(6)V99. there are 8 nines (8+1)/2 = 4.5 = 5 bytes.

binary data (COMP) has no fractions, integers only.

32) 1) Without execution cobol

5)Intertest while testing.....

6) //DDNAME DD DSN=file1. file,DISP=SHR

33) What is a bind?

34) I submitted the batch job in

35) How to include system time

ACCEPT WS-ACCEPT-TIME FROM TIME.

declare ws-accept-date and ws-accept-time in working-storage section

36) In a COBOL II PERFORM

37) What is the difference

38) What is a junction record?

39) How do you define a

40) What is the maximum size

41) What is te difference

42) How include time & date in

43) What does a ROLLBACK do?