Course Code: cobbol
Duration: 28 hours
Course Outline:

Day 1

  • A brief explanation of TSO/ISPF and how to navigate to the required facilities. This will
  • be done as a demonstration without accompanying notes.
  •  1 - Documentation
  • Not just the two COBOL manuals but some other manuals which may be useful, plus
  • the relevance of COBOL today.
  •  2 - Syntax and Structure
  • Statement structure, the four Divisions, plus the ACCEPT, DISPLAY and MOVE
  • instructions, and how to end a program.
  • 3 - Compiling & Debugging
  • The compilation process, the Address Space, plus compile and run-time errors and
  • how to resolve them.

Day 2

  •  4 - Define and Move Data
  • WORKING-STORAGE Section in detail, LINKAGE SECTION, Literals, plus the MOVE
  • instruction and COPY statement with pseudo-code.
    5 - Sequential File Processing
  • All aspects of non-VSAM sequential file processing, including print files.

Day 3

  • 6 - Structured Programming
  • Structure DATA and PROCEDURE DIVISIONs, the PERFORM instruction, and an
  • exercise in converting a non-structured program to structured.
  • 7 - Decision Making
  • Relational expressions, Class Types, Figurative Constants, the IF and EVALUATE
  • instructions, plus how to set a condition.

Day 4

  • 8 - Arithmetic
  • The ADD, COMPUTE, DIVIDE, MULTIPLY and SUBTRACT instructions.
  • Appendix A – Using SQL Statements
  • To be formulated.

Modern COBOL is much more complex than the Part I course implies with additional topic in COBOL Part II as below, but these are well beyond a 4-day deliver.

  • 9 - Working with Dates
  • Using the ACCEPT instruction and DATE functions to obtain variations of date and
  • time.
  • 10 - Character Manipulation
  • Referential Modification, Intrinsic Functions, plus the INSPECT, STRING and
  • UNSTRING instructions.
  • 11 - Arrays & Tables
  • Initializing, Subscripting and Indexing, plus the SEARCH instruction.
  • 12 - Sub-programs
  • Dynamic vs Static CALL, receiving parameters (include from JCL EXEC), returning
  • control, and alternate ENTRY points.
  • 13 - Index File Processing
  • Covers the variations of sequential processing, random by key, and the use of
  • alternate indices.
  • 14 - Random File Processing
  • Covers the variations of sequential processing and random by record number.
  • 15 - Dynamic File Allocation
  • Impact on SELECT and JCL, the differences between BPXWDYN, setenv and envar
  • methods.
  • 16 - Dynamic Memory Allocation
  • My Address Space, what can be allocated? The ALLOCATE and FREE instructions.
  • 17 - Server Interfaces
  • Covers the use of both JSON and XML to process data packets.
  • 18 - Using the SORT feature
  • Describes two principal SORT Exits before discussing how to invoke SORT from within
  • a COBOL program.