Why take this course?
After completing this course, you will be able to
- understand the logic and behaviour of any COBOL program.
- create, modify, test, debug and verify COBOL programs and results.
- program arithmetic operations and data manipulation in COBOL.
- use the most common COBOL statements.
- process multiple input and output files for data access.
- write well-structured COBOL programs.
- program simple reports and perform basic table handling.
This hands-on course teaches you how to write basic COBOL programs for any platform. It covers all essential COBOL programming elements as well as structured programming techniques. You'll work on case studies and hands-on exercises that will help you put your new skills to work right away.
Who should attend?
Entry-level programmer/analysts and system analysts who are not proficient with the COBOL language.
Any prerequisites?
You should have a basic understanding of computer hardware and software and programming logic. Previous experience with a programming language such as BASIC or Pascal is helpful but not required.
Dates and Fees
5 Days
- $ 1,747 (CAD) Up to 3 - $ 3,494 Up to 6 - $ 5,244 Plus - $ 874 Sorry, no classes are currently scheduled, please contact us to request a class
What Topics Are Covered?
Introduction to COBOL
- What is COBOL?
- Characteristics
- Usage
- Batch vs. Online
- Program Development Process
COBOL Basics
- Basic Program Structure
- Coding Rules
- Basic Program
- Mainframe Environment Overview
Identification and Environment Divisions
- Identification Division
- Description and Format
- Environment Division
- Description and Format
Basic Data Manipulation
- Data Division
- Basic Elements
- Simple Data Structures
- Field Levels
- Data Types
- The PICTURE Clause
- The VALUE Clause
- Moving Data
- The Move Verb
Arithmetic Operations
- Arithmetic Verbs
- ADD Verb
- SUBTRACT Verb
- DIVIDE Verb
- MULTIPLY Verb
- COMPUTE Verb
- ROUNDED Option
- ON SIZE ERROR Option
- Rule-of-Thumb for Resultant Fields
Basic Instructions in the Procedure Division
- ACCEPT Statement
- Basic IF Statement
- Creating Paragraphs
- Simple PERFORM Statement
- GO TO Statement
- Elements of a Loop
File Concepts
- File Definition
- File Organizations
- Record Types
- Internal Representation of Data
- Usage of Data
- Usage Clause Syntax
- Calculating Record Size
- Collating Sequence
- File Processing
Defining Sequential Files
- Required Elements
- Selecting Files
- Describing Files
- Describing Records
Processing Sequential Files
- Process Flow
- Initialization Process
- Main Process
- Termination Process
- Program Coding Overview
- MVS Allocation Process
- Common ERRORS Related to File Processing
- Data Validation
Structured Programming
- What is Structured Programming?
- Elements of Structure Programming
- Program Planning Tools
- Modular Approach
- Structured Coding Concepts
- Top-Down Design
- Logical Control Structures
- Coding Style
Report Writing Concepts
- Overview
- Common Report Types
- Physical Page Structure
- Page Management
- Control Level Breaks
Programming Logic for Simple Reports
- Describing Report Lines
- Edit Symbols
- Line Spacing
- Coding Report Logic
- Control Break Logic
COBOL Tables
- Table Concepts
- Creating a Table
- Using Data Tables
- Loading a Table
- Printing Table Contents
- Table Search
The Future of COBOL
- Future Enhancements
- Development Platform
Competency Assessment and Certificate
Upon request, a technical competency assessment will be conducted with the student.This assessment will be a combination of written and multiple choice questions as well as specific coding tests.
Upon a minimum pass rate of 85%, students will receive a Certificate of Competency instead of the standard certificate of course completion.
Students will be assessed in the following areas
- understanding of the structure, syntax and logic of a COBOL program.
- compiling, reviewing output and correcting syntax errors.
- revising and verifying a program for input and output specification change.
- testing and debugging logic execution and calculation errors.