Top 10 Cobol Interview Questions and Answers

COBOL has different levels such as level 01, level 77, etc. for defining data structures and variables.

• Level 01 is used for defining record structures.

• Level 77 is used for defining elementary data items.

• Level 88 is used for defining condition names.

• L...read more

CURSOR in COBOL is used to navigate through a result set in a database program.

• Declare a CURSOR in the Working-Storage section of the COBOL program

• Open the CURSOR to fetch data from the database

• Use FETCH statement to retrieve rows from the result set...read more

Data can be passed to COBOL through JCL using SYSIN DD statement, PARM parameter, and environment variables.

• Use SYSIN DD statement to pass data to COBOL program

• Pass data using PARM parameter in JCL

• Set environment variables in JCL to pass data

No, there is no mandatory condition to call a program in COBOL.

• In COBOL, a program can be called without any mandatory conditions.

• The CALL statement is used to call a program in COBOL.

• The called program can be executed based on the logic written with...read more

Goto is an unconditional transfer of control while perform is a conditional transfer of control.

• Goto is considered harmful as it can lead to spaghetti code.

• Perform is used to execute a set of statements based on a condition.

• Perform can be used with v...read more

READ reads data from a file into a variable, while READ INTO WS-VARIABLE reads data into a specified work area.

• READ is used to read data from a file into a variable in COBOL.

• READ INTO WS-VARIABLE is used to read data into a specified work area in COB...read more

COBOL is a programming language used primarily for business, finance, and administrative systems.

• COBOL stands for Common Business-Oriented Language.

• It is known for its readability and self-documenting nature.

• COBOL is used in industries such as bankin...read more

Data can be passed to COBOL using input/output files, parameters, or through communication with other programs.

• Data can be passed to COBOL programs through input/output files. The program reads data from input files and writes output to output files....read more

Index and subscript are used in COBOL to access elements in arrays.

• Index is used to access a specific element in an array based on its position

• Subscript is used to access a specific element in an array based on its value

• Both index and subscript can b...read more

Comp 1 and Comp 3 are usage clause variables in COBOL.

• Comp 1 is used for binary data and takes up 2 bytes of storage.

• Comp 3 is used for packed decimal data and takes up variable storage depending on the number of digits.

• Usage clause variables are use...read more

COBOL has four divisions: Identification Division, Environment Division, Data Division, and Procedure Division.

• Identification Division: Contains program name, author, and other identifying information.

• Environment Division: Specifies the hardware and ...read more