The Cobol Ninja Course

The Four Pillars of the Cobol Ninja Course

Welcome to the threshold of transformation, where the legacy of computing meets the innovation of today. In an era where new programming languages emerge with the dawn of each day, there exists a titan, steadfast and unwavering, that continues to underpin the critical systems that our modern world relies on. This titan is COBOL - the Common Business-Oriented Language. At COBOL Ninja, we recognize the undiminished importance and enduring demand for COBOL expertise. Thus, we have meticulously crafted the COBOL Ninja Course, a comprehensive journey designed to equip you with the skills to master this venerable language and become a true COBOL Ninja.

What subjects will we learn?

Introduction to programming

If you do not have any background or prior knowledge related to computer programming, you will first learn the basic fundamentals of computer programming.

This part is not related to Cobol and is applicable to any programming language.

The basics

  • The Computer model
  • The Algorithm
  • The Flowchart

Flowcharts – Basic symbols

  • Start
  • Accept
  • Display
  • End
  • Defining/assigning storage

Flowcharts – Advanced symbols

  • Complex assignment (Compute)
  • Conditions – Basic, Complex (AND/OR), Nested
  • Loops – Numbered, Indexed, Conditioned
  • Evaluate
  • Functions
  • Sort
  • Initialize

Flowcharts – File Handling

  • Sequential
  • Break levels
  • Adding direct reads

 

COBOL/400

This part of the course goes beyond simply learning the syntax rules of Cobol – you will learn how to analyze, design and structure solutions to real world problems.

You will implement advanced programming techniques that will enable you to design programs that are easy to understand and maintain, perform better, and will stand the test of time.

Program structure

  • Columns
  • Divisions/Sections

Variables I

  • Basic variable definition
  • Variable assignment

Procedure Division I

  • DISPLAY
  • ACCEPT
  • MOVE
  • COMPUTE
  • EXIT PROGRAM
  • Compile & Run

Variables II

  • Negative values
  • Decimal values
  • Variable storage methods (ZONED,PACKED,BINARY)
  • Edit masking
  • Group items
  • Levels (01,03…66,77,88)
  • REDEFINES
  • Arrays (OCCURS) – Single/multi level

Advanced commands

  • SEARCH
  • Subscripting
  • MOVE by name (CORRESPONDING)
  • Alternative math functions (ADD,SUBTRACT,DIVIDE BY, MULTIPLY)
  • INSPECT TALLYING/REPLACING
  • STRING/UNSTRING

Procedure Division II

  • Initialize
  • Conditions – IF, ELSE, END-IF, NEXT SENTENCE, CONTINUE
  • Tests – IF NUMERIC, VALUE TESTING, AND/OR/NOT logic
  • PERFORM, INLINE PERFORM, PERFORM VARYING
  • Getting DATE, TIME, LDA

Files I

  • INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION definitions – Select/Organization/Access
  • FILE SECTION definitions – FD file structure
  • OPEN/CLOSE
  • READ, READ INTO
  • WRITE, WRITE FROM
  • AT END/File Status
  • Simple sequential read program

Files II

  • Defining Indexed/Direct Access
  • INVALID KEY/File Status
  • Creating and populating reference tables
  • Checking for record locks

Files III

  • Sequential read program template
  • Break level programs
  • Direct reads
  • Updates & Deletes

Interactive Screen programming I

  • Creating a simple screen (DDS)
  • Creating first screen program template
  • Defining/using INDICATORS
  • Using FEEDBACK-AREA, ONTROL-AREA
  • COPY variations – DD, DDR, DDS, DDSR
  • Creating “WORK WITH” program (Parent/Child)

Program calls

  • CALL … USING
  • LINKAGE SECTION

Print files

  • Creating print/report programs
  • Understanding printer queues and spool files

OS/400

A Cobol programmer needs to have a basic understanding of what computer operating systems are, what they do, and how to run Cobol under them.

Cobol, like any computer language, can run under a variety of operating systems, but is found predominantly in large organizations (government, finance, transportation).

Most use very large computers with operating systems made by IBM.

In order to prepare you for the real world, you will learn how to create and run your Cobol programs on a large IBM computer knows as the IBM i, formerly known as the AS/400.

You will learn to use many facets of the operating system together with your Cobol programs to create a complete business application.

Objects

  • Libraries
  • Commands
  • Programs
  • Files

Database Management

  • Native DDS (PF, LF)
  • Source Files
  • DB2/400
  • SQL (Interactive, RUNSQLSTM, RUNSQL)
  • Query/400
  • File Commands – DSPPFM, DSPFD, DSPFFD, DSPDBR

Work Management

  • What Is A Job
  • Job Attributes
  • WRK*JOB Commands
  • Batch/Online Jobs
  • QTEMP
  • LDA
  • The Job log
  • Library list & commands
  • Subsystems/Job Queues
  • Submitting/Running Jobs

Development Environment

  • PDM (WRKMBRPDM, WRKOBJPDM, Functions & Options)
  • SEU (Functions & Options)
  • The Edit-Comile-Run Cycle
  • Debugging
  • Change Management

The Multi-user Environment

  • User Profile
  • Initial Program
  • Object locks
  • Messages

DB2/400

Cobol programs can do many things, but they are best known for their exceptional ability to access and process data stored in a Databse Management System.

In this course your will learn how to use IBM’s flagship database – DB2, the most powerful and stable database for large enterprises. You will learn how to create, update and access database tables from within Cobol programs, and other ways, such as using SQL.

All Database Management Systems provide the same functionality and work in a very similar way – this course will open the way for you to learn to work with other leading databases such as Oracle, SQLServer, and others.

Data Definition

  • Create
  • Drop
  • Alter
  • Schema
  • Tables
  • Indexes
  • Collections

Data Manipulation

  • Insert
  • Update
  • Delete
  • Select (Functions, View, Join)
  • SELECT statement structure
  • GROUP BY
  • ORDER BY
  • Column Heading Change
  • Predicates
  • Select Conditions

Embedded SQL

  • Host Variables
  • Using SELECT INTO host variable
  • Cursor – Declare, Open, Fetch, Close

Advanced

  • Triggers
  • Stored Procedures (Result Set/Array)
  • Scripts
  • Performance considerations
  • Transaction (Commit/Rollback)

The Cobol Ninja Course for expert COBOL programming skills, cobol ninja course

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