COBOL

 

What is COBOL?

COBOL is a programming language that is mainly focused on solving a business problem. Full form of COBOL is Common Business-Oriented Language. It is primarily used in company and government business, finance, and administrative systems. This language also used as a solution to many data processing problems.

It is developed by CODASYL (Conference on Data Systems Languages). It is used as a language in the Mainframe System.

Features of COBOL

Here, are some most important features of the COBOL programming language:

• Allows you to handle a considerable volume of data due to its advanced file managing capability.
• Logical structure in COBOL is easier to read and modify.
• It can be executed and compiled on machines like IBM, personal computers, etc.
• Testing and debugging tools are always accessible on all platforms of the computer. Therefore, it is a robust programming language.
• You can easily debug in COBOL as it has different divisions.
• COBOL was designed for business-oriented applications. It can handle large volumes of data due to its advanced file handling capabilities.

Types of Divisions

Various divisions in COBOL program structure are as follows:

Identification Division

Environment Division

Data Division

Procedure Division

Identification Division

The programmer and compiler can use this division to recognize the program.

The only compulsory division is Program ID.

It identifies the name of the program which contains characters.

Environment Division

It helps you to identify input and output files to the program.