Chapter 36: Accounting and General Ledger Systems -- Further Reading

Books

"Accounting Information Systems" by Marshall B. Romney and Paul J. Steinbart This widely-used textbook covers the design and implementation of accounting information systems, including the general ledger, transaction processing cycles, internal controls, and audit trail requirements. While technology-neutral, the concepts map directly to the COBOL GL system architecture presented in this chapter. Available through university bookstores and major online booksellers.

"Financial Accounting" by Jerry J. Weygandt, Paul D. Kimmel, and Donald E. Kieso Understanding the accounting principles that GL systems implement is essential for COBOL programmers. This textbook covers the accounting cycle (journalizing, posting, trial balance, adjusting entries, financial statements, closing entries) with clear explanations that help programmers understand why GL programs are structured the way they are. Available through university bookstores.

"IT Auditing: Computer-Assisted Techniques" by the Institute of Internal Auditors This reference covers the audit procedures applied to computerized accounting systems, including GL systems. Understanding what auditors look for helps COBOL programmers design systems that are auditable: complete audit trails, proper segregation of duties, and adequate internal controls. Available through the IIA bookstore and major online booksellers.

Online Resources

Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) -- Accounting Standards Codification The FASB Accounting Standards Codification is the authoritative source of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the United States. COBOL programs that generate financial statements must produce output that conforms to GAAP presentation requirements. The codification covers revenue recognition, lease accounting, financial statement presentation, and hundreds of other topics. Available through the FASB website (subscription required for full access).

IBM Enterprise COBOL Programming Guide -- Report Writer While the Report Writer feature is less commonly used in modern COBOL, its concepts of control breaks, subtotals, page headers, and detail/summary lines directly apply to the financial report generation patterns discussed in this chapter. The programming guide documents how to use Report Writer or manual report-writing techniques for professional-quality financial output. Available on the IBM Documentation portal.

AICPA -- Audit and Accounting Guides The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants publishes industry-specific audit guides that describe the accounting practices and internal controls expected in various industries. The guides for financial services, government, and not-for-profit organizations are particularly relevant to COBOL GL systems. Available through the AICPA website.

IBM Documentation

IBM Redbook: "Batch Processing on z/OS" GL systems are fundamentally batch-oriented, and this Redbook covers the best practices for designing and running batch processing workloads on z/OS. Topics include JCL job stream design, checkpoint/restart for long-running programs, batch window management, and performance optimization for sequential file processing -- all directly applicable to GL batch processing. Search for this title on the IBM Redbooks website.

IBM Redbook: "VSAM Demystified" The GL master file and chart of accounts are typically VSAM KSDS files, and this Redbook provides comprehensive coverage of VSAM file design, access methods, performance tuning, and maintenance. Understanding VSAM internals helps COBOL programmers optimize GL file access patterns and troubleshoot performance issues. Available on the IBM Redbooks website.

Standards and Regulations

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) -- Section 404 SOX Section 404 requires management to assess and report on the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. COBOL GL systems are a primary focus of SOX compliance because they produce the financial statements on which external audit opinions are based. Understanding SOX requirements helps programmers design systems with proper access controls, segregation of duties, and audit trails. The full text of the Act and SEC implementation rules are available through the SEC website.

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Organizations that report under IFRS (rather than US GAAP) have different requirements for financial statement presentation, revenue recognition, and other accounting topics. COBOL GL systems that support multinational organizations must accommodate both GAAP and IFRS reporting, often maintaining parallel sets of books or generating IFRS-to-GAAP reconciliation reports. IFRS standards are available through the IFRS Foundation website.

COSO Internal Control Framework The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) framework defines the standard for internal controls that SOX compliance relies upon. The five components of internal control (control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and communication, monitoring) directly influence how COBOL GL systems are designed and operated. The COSO framework documentation is available through the COSO website.