Learning COBOL Programming: From Beginners to Experts

From Beginners to Experts

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42 chapters ~64 hours total 322 pages

1

Front Matter

6 chapters

• Learning COBOL Programming
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• How to Use This Book
• Prerequisites
• Compiler Setup Guide

2

Part I: COBOL Foundations and the Mainframe World

7 chapters

• Part I: COBOL Foundations and the Mainframe World
• Chapter 1: The World of COBOL -- History, Relevance, and the Mainframe Ecosystem
• Chapter 2: COBOL Program Structure -- Divisions, Sections, and Paragraphs
• Chapter 3: Data Types, Variables, and the PICTURE Clause
• Chapter 4: The WORKING-STORAGE and LOCAL-STORAGE Sections
• Chapter 5: Basic Input/Output and DISPLAY/ACCEPT Statements
• Chapter 6: Arithmetic Operations and Numeric Processing

3

Part II: Control Flow and Program Logic

5 chapters

• Part II: Control Flow and Program Logic
• Chapter 7: Conditional Logic -- IF, EVALUATE, and Condition Names
• Chapter 8: Iteration -- The PERFORM Statement in All Its Forms
• Chapter 9: String Handling and Character Manipulation
• Chapter 10: Tables and Arrays -- OCCURS, SEARCH, and Multi-Dimensional Data

4

Part III: File Processing and Data Management

7 chapters

• Part III: File Processing and Data Management
• Chapter 11: Sequential File Processing
• Chapter 12: Indexed File Processing (VSAM KSDS)
• Chapter 13: Relative File Processing and Advanced File Techniques
• Chapter 14: Sort and Merge Operations
• Chapter 15: Report Writer Module
• Chapter 16: Declaratives and Exception Handling

5

Part IV: Modular Programming and Code Organization

6 chapters

• Part IV: Modular Programming and Code Organization
• Chapter 17: Subprograms and the CALL Statement
• Chapter 18: COPY, REPLACE, and Copybook Management
• Chapter 19: Intrinsic Functions Reference
• Chapter 20: Debugging Techniques and Tools
• Chapter 21: COBOL Coding Standards and Best Practices

6

Part V: Enterprise Data Access

6 chapters

• Part V: Enterprise Data Access
• Chapter 22: Embedded SQL and DB2 Fundamentals
• Chapter 23: Advanced DB2 Programming
• Chapter 24: CICS Transaction Processing Fundamentals
• Chapter 25: Advanced CICS Programming
• Chapter 26: IMS Database and Transaction Management

7

Part VI: Mainframe Environment and Batch Processing

7 chapters

• Part VI: Mainframe Environment and Batch Processing
• Chapter 27: JCL Essentials for COBOL Programmers
• Chapter 28: Batch Processing Patterns and Design
• Chapter 29: Mainframe Utilities for COBOL Developers
• Chapter 30: z/OS Dataset Concepts and Storage Management
• Chapter 31: COBOL and the z/OS Security Model
• Chapter 32: Performance Tuning for COBOL Programs

8

Part VII: COBOL in Financial Systems

5 chapters

• Part VII: COBOL in Financial Systems
• Chapter 33: Financial Calculations in COBOL
• Chapter 34: Banking and Payment Systems in COBOL
• Chapter 35: Insurance and Government Systems
• Chapter 36: Accounting and General Ledger Systems

9

Part VIII: Modern COBOL and System Evolution

5 chapters

• Part VIII: Modern COBOL and System Evolution
• Chapter 37: Object-Oriented COBOL
• Chapter 38: Modern COBOL Integrations -- APIs, Web Services, and Microservices
• Chapter 39: Legacy System Maintenance and Modernization
• Chapter 40: Testing, Quality Assurance, and Deployment

10

Part IX: Capstone Projects and Career Path

3 chapters

• Part IX: Capstone Projects and Career Path
• Chapter 41: Capstone Project -- Building a Complete Banking Application
• Chapter 42: COBOL Career Guide and the Path Forward

11

Appendices

12 chapters

• Appendix A: COBOL Reserved Words
• Appendix B: File Status Codes
• Appendix C: COBOL Language Quick Reference
• Appendix D: JCL Quick Reference
• Appendix E: Glossary
• Appendix F: PICTURE Clause Reference
• Appendix G: Answers to Selected Exercises
• Appendix H: Annotated Bibliography
• Appendix I: ABEND Code Reference
• Appendix J: EBCDIC and ASCII Reference
• Appendix K: Compiler Options Reference
• Appendix L: Setting Up GnuCOBOL

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