iSeries (AS/400) Cobol Programming

Introduction

This course teaches the students how to develop Cobol programs on the iSeries, and encourages delegates to use structured coding practices.

What you will learn

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Write an enquiry program in Cobol.
• Update an existing program by adding further files, fields and screen displays.
• Write a report program in Cobol.
• Write a simple load-all subfile program in Cobol.
• Write a file maintenance program in Cobol.
• Debug Cobol programs.

Who should attend

Applications development staff who will be using Cobol to develop or maintain applications written with Cobol on the iSeries.

Pre-requisites

iSeries SYSTEM FACILITIES should be attended prior to this course. Delegates without prior programming experience in a high level database programming language should also attend the iSeries PROGRAM DESIGN course. The many practical exercises on this COBOL/400 course require the delegate to code using PDM, SEU, SDA and DDS, all of which are taught on the iSeries System Facilities course.

Course content

• Database files on the iSeries (AS/400).
• Physical and logical files.
• Cobol field names in database files.
• Creating database files.
• Relational database and field reference files.
• Printer files and printer file DDS.
• Creating a Cobol program.
• Generating executable code.
• Layout and structure of a Cobol program.
• The main divisions in a Cobol program.
• Defining variables.
• Including field names from external files.
• Report program design.
• Coding the environment division, the data division and the procedure division.
• Cobol verbs.
• Interactive programs and display files.
• Creating a display file.
• Writing enquiry programs.
• Indicators - integral buffer technique.
• Indicators - separate indicator technique.
• Data manipulation verbs.
• Branching and procedure verbs.
• Linking programs.
• Parameters and the local data area.
• Pointing to a database file.
• Error handling in iSeries (AS/400) programs.
• Special names in Cobol.
• Debugging Cobol programs.
• Creating a subfile display.
• Subfile programming types and techniques.
• Load all subfile program.
• Validation and file maintenance.
• File maintenance tasks.
• Techniques of data validation.
• Cobol file maintenance program.
• Record locking.

Materials

A course manual with supporting documentation is provided. The course exercises include extensive programming work using Cobol to develop a suite of programs to deal with enquiry, maintenance and report functions. Delegates may bring a quarter inch tape cartridge to back up the work done during the course, and may keep this for further reference.

Schedule - Dates on Request