Prepare for your Cobol job interview. Understand the required skills and qualifications, anticipate the questions you might be asked, and learn how to answer them with our well-prepared sample responses.
This question is important as it assesses the candidate's understanding of legacy systems and the significance of maintaining and modernizing them. It also evaluates the candidate's knowledge of programming languages and their relevance in the industry.
Answer example: “COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) is a high-level programming language primarily used for business, finance, and administrative systems. It is still used today in legacy systems due to its reliability, stability, and the extensive amount of existing COBOL code in critical business applications.“
Understanding the structure of a COBOL program is crucial for a software developer as it forms the foundation for writing and organizing COBOL code effectively. Knowing the program structure helps in creating well-structured, readable, and maintainable COBOL programs, which are essential for developing and maintaining legacy systems.
Answer example: “A COBOL program consists of divisions, sections, paragraphs, and sentences. The divisions include Identification, Environment, Data, Procedure, and the optional Debugging division. Each division contains specific sections that define the program's structure and logic.“
Understanding the different divisions in a COBOL program is crucial for a software developer as it forms the fundamental structure of a COBOL program. Knowing these divisions helps in writing clear, organized, and efficient COBOL code, ensuring proper program execution and maintenance.
Answer example: “The different divisions in a COBOL program are Identification Division, Environment Division, Data Division, Procedure Division, and File Section. Each division serves a specific purpose in organizing and structuring the COBOL program.“
Understanding the significance of the PROCEDURE DIVISION in COBOL is crucial for a software developer as it is the core section where the program's functionality is implemented. It demonstrates the candidate's knowledge of COBOL's structure and their ability to write efficient and effective code.
Answer example: “The PROCEDURE DIVISION in COBOL is where the actual logic and processing of the program is defined. It contains the executable statements that perform the required operations.“
Understanding how variables are defined in COBOL is crucial for writing efficient and error-free code. It ensures proper data manipulation, storage, and retrieval, which are fundamental aspects of COBOL programming.
Answer example: “In COBOL, variables are defined using the DATA DIVISION. Each variable is declared with a level number and a data name, specifying its data type and size.“
Understanding the difference between level numbers in COBOL is crucial for designing efficient data structures and ensuring proper data organization. It helps developers create clear and maintainable code by defining the relationships between data items and their hierarchy.
Answer example: “In COBOL, level numbers are used to define the hierarchical structure of data items. The main difference between level numbers is that higher level numbers represent group items, while lower level numbers represent elementary items.“
Understanding the different data types in COBOL is crucial for writing efficient and accurate programs. It ensures proper data handling, storage, and manipulation, which are essential for developing reliable software solutions in COBOL.
Answer example: “In COBOL, the different data types include alphanumeric, numeric, and alphanumeric-edited. Alphanumeric data type is used for text, numeric for numbers, and alphanumeric-edited for formatted output.“
This question is important because file processing is a fundamental aspect of COBOL programming. Understanding how to handle file operations in COBOL is crucial for developing applications that interact with external data files efficiently and accurately. Proficiency in file processing demonstrates a candidate's knowledge of key COBOL concepts and their ability to work with data in a mainframe environment.
Answer example: “In COBOL, file processing is typically done using file control statements like OPEN, READ, WRITE, and CLOSE. These statements are used to access and manipulate data in external files. COBOL programs define file structures using the FILE SECTION in the DATA DIVISION and use the SELECT and ASSIGN clauses to specify file attributes.“
Understanding the significance of the PERFORM statement in COBOL is important as it is a fundamental concept in COBOL programming. It demonstrates the ability to efficiently manage repetitive tasks and control the flow of the program, showcasing the candidate's knowledge of key COBOL constructs.
Answer example: “The PERFORM statement in COBOL is significant as it allows for the repetition of a set of statements within a program. It enables the creation of loops and the execution of a specific block of code multiple times.“
This question is important because error handling is a critical aspect of software development. Understanding how error handling is implemented in COBOL programs demonstrates the candidate's knowledge of handling exceptions and ensuring the reliability and robustness of the software.
Answer example: “In COBOL, error handling is typically done using the ON EXCEPTION clause to handle exceptions and errors. This clause allows the program to specify actions to take when an error occurs, such as displaying an error message or performing cleanup operations.“
Understanding the concept of REDEFINES in COBOL is crucial for software developers working with legacy systems or maintaining COBOL code. It demonstrates knowledge of memory optimization techniques and data structure management in COBOL, which are essential skills for efficient programming in this language.
Answer example: “In COBOL, REDEFINES is a clause used to define two or more data items that occupy the same storage location. It allows different data items to share the same memory space, enabling efficient use of memory and facilitating data manipulation.“
Understanding the purpose of the EVALUATE statement in COBOL is important for COBOL developers as it is a fundamental control structure that enables efficient and structured decision-making in programs. Knowing how to use EVALUATE effectively can lead to clearer and more maintainable code.
Answer example: “The EVALUATE statement in COBOL is used for multi-way branching based on the value of a given expression. It allows the program to execute different sets of statements based on the conditions specified in the WHEN clauses.“
Understanding how arithmetic operations are performed in COBOL is crucial for a software developer as COBOL is commonly used in business applications where accurate and efficient arithmetic calculations are essential. Knowing the syntax and usage of arithmetic verbs in COBOL is fundamental for writing reliable and efficient COBOL programs.
Answer example: “In COBOL, arithmetic operations are performed using arithmetic verbs like ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, and DIVIDE. These verbs operate on numeric data items defined in the DATA DIVISION of the program.“
Understanding the different types of loops in COBOL is crucial for writing efficient and structured code. Loops are fundamental in programming to iterate over data, perform calculations, and control program flow. Knowing the loop constructs in COBOL helps developers optimize their code and ensure proper execution of business logic.
Answer example: “In COBOL, the different types of loops available are PERFORM, PERFORM UNTIL, PERFORM VARYING, and PERFORM THRU. These loops allow for repetitive execution of a block of code based on specified conditions or ranges.“
Understanding the concept of subprograms in COBOL is crucial for writing efficient and maintainable code. It demonstrates the candidate's knowledge of structured programming principles and their ability to design programs in a modular and organized manner.
Answer example: “In COBOL, subprograms are reusable blocks of code that can be called from different parts of the program. They help in modularizing the code, improving readability, and reducing redundancy.“
Understanding how date and time functions are handled in COBOL is crucial for developing applications that require accurate date and time calculations. Proper handling of date and time data ensures the reliability and correctness of the software, especially in financial and business applications where precise timing is essential.
Answer example: “In COBOL, date and time functions are typically handled using special data types like PIC S9(5) COMP-3 for dates and PIC S9(5) COMP-3 for times. Date arithmetic can be performed using intrinsic functions like ADD, SUBTRACT, and COMPUTE. Time functions can be handled using MOVE and arithmetic operations on time fields.“