What is the difference between the PERFORM...THRU and PERFORM...VARYING statements in COBOL?
- PERFORM...THRU is used for conditional loops, while PERFORM...VARYING is used for unconditional loops
- PERFORM...THRU is used for iterative loops, while PERFORM...VARYING is used for nested loops
- PERFORM...THRU is used for nested loops, while PERFORM...VARYING is used for iterative loops
- There is no difference between PERFORM...THRU and PERFORM...VARYING
The PERFORM...THRU statement in COBOL is used for nested loops, allowing the programmer to execute a series of paragraphs or sections. On the other hand, PERFORM...VARYING is used for iterative loops, allowing the iteration through a range of values.
How does the CONTINUE statement impact the flow of control in a COBOL program?
- It repeats the current statement indefinitely
- It transfers control to a specific paragraph
- It transfers control to the next sequential statement
- It transfers control to the specified label
The CONTINUE statement in COBOL is a no-operation statement. It does not affect the flow of control and transfers it to the next sequential statement. It is often used for placeholder purposes or to improve code readability.
The _______ clause in a PERFORM statement is used to specify the condition for loop termination.
- TIMES
- UNTIL
- VARYING
- WITH
The UNTIL clause in a COBOL PERFORM loop allows you to specify a condition for loop termination. The loop will continue executing until the specified condition becomes true.
In COBOL, the FUNCTION ______ intrinsic function can be used to determine the current date.
- CURRENT-DATE
- DATE
- DAY
- TIME
The FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE in COBOL is used to retrieve the current date and time. It returns a data structure containing various components such as year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.
Your COBOL application is encountering performance issues when reading large amounts of data from a VSAM file. What optimization techniques can you apply to improve performance?
- Apply caching mechanisms to reduce disk I/O
- Implement parallel processing for data retrieval
- Increase buffer size in COBOL I/O statements
- Use indexed file organization for faster access
To improve performance when reading large amounts of data from a VSAM file, applying caching mechanisms to reduce disk I/O is effective. Caching stores frequently accessed data in memory, minimizing the need for repeated disk reads and enhancing overall application speed.
What is the purpose of the FUNCTION PRESENTATION intrinsic function in COBOL?
- It calculates the present value of an investment
- It converts a character string to a numeric value
- It retrieves the current presentation layer
- It returns the presentation of a numeric value as a character string
The FUNCTION PRESENTATION intrinsic function in COBOL is used to return the presentation of a numeric value as a character string, allowing for custom formatting.
In COBOL, what is the difference between the COMP and COMP-3 data types?
- COMP is a binary format, while COMP-3 is a packed decimal format
- COMP is the only numeric data type in COBOL
- COMP is used for characters, while COMP-3 is for numbers
- COMP-3 is an obsolete data type
The primary difference between COMP and COMP-3 in COBOL lies in their representation. COMP uses a binary format, while COMP-3 uses a packed decimal format, allowing for efficient storage of numeric data with a varying number of digits.
In COBOL, the _____ clause is used to specify the action to be taken when a file operation results in an exception condition.
- ERROR HANDLING
- EXCEPTION HANDLER
- INVALID KEY
- ON EXCEPTION
In COBOL, the INVALID KEY clause is used to specify the action to be taken when a file operation results in an exception condition, such as attempting to read a record that does not exist.
The "EVALUATE" statement can be used to simulate a _____ statement with multiple conditions.
- DIVIDE
- GOTO
- PERFORM
- Switch
The "EVALUATE" statement in COBOL serves a similar purpose as a "switch" statement in other programming languages. It allows for multiple conditions to be tested, providing a structured and efficient way to handle different cases.
In COBOL, what is the difference between the ADD and SUBTRACT statements when performing arithmetic operations?
- ADD adds values, and SUBTRACT subtracts values from the receiving field
- ADD and SUBTRACT are interchangeable in COBOL
- ADD is used for numeric addition, and SUBTRACT is used for alphanumeric subtraction
- ADD is used for subtraction, and SUBTRACT is used for addition
The ADD statement in COBOL is used for numeric addition, while the SUBTRACT statement is used for numeric subtraction. It's crucial to understand the distinction to perform accurate arithmetic operations in COBOL programs.