COWLEY COLLEGE & Area Vocational Technical School COURSE PROCEDURE FOR COBOL PROGRAMMING CIS1866 3 Credit Hours Student Level: This course is open to students on the college level in either Freshman or Sophomore year. Prerequisite: None Controlling Purpose: This course is offered to teach programming skills in Cobol to students. The basic constructs learned in this course will apply to any programming language (with slight modifications). Learner Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to construct computer programs for solving common types of business oriented applications. The student will gain a working knowledge of the COBOL programming language and it's syntax. The student will also learn structured program design, development, testing, implementation, and documentation of common business-oriented applications. They will write programs involving input/output, loops, control structures, and use of sequential and indexed file organization. Course Time Frame: 3 hrs. per week Evaluation KEY: A = All major and minor goals have been achieved and the achievement level is considerably above the minimum required for doing more advanced work in the same field. B = All major goals have been achieved, but the student has failed to achieve some of the less important goals. However, the student has progressed to the point where the goals of work at the next level can be easily achieved. C = All major goals have been achieved, but many of the minor goals have not been achieved. In this grade range, the minimum level of proficiency represents a person who has achieved the major goals to the minimum amount of preparation necessary for taking more advanced work in the same field, but without any major handicap of inadequacy in his background. D = A few of the major goals have been achieved, but the student s achievement is so limited that he is not well prepared to work at a more advanced level in the same field. F = Failing, will be computed in GPA and hours attempted. N = No instruction or training in this area. Page 1
CHAPTER 1: Introduction Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will see a simple problem described, the logic developed, and the COBOL program to solve it. The student will gain an understanding of the process, not necessarily the details of the COBOL program. Understand fields, records, and files. Learn two techniques used to express program logic. Identify the four divisions of a Cobol Program. Learn the six COBOL language elements. CHAPTER 2: From Coding Form to Computer Learn the rules for creating a programmer-supplied name. Learn the difference between numeric and nonnumeric literals. Learn to follow the logic of a simple program as expressed in a flowchart or pseudocode. Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will have a working knowledge of the COBOL coding sheet and its use. They will also understand compiling and executing and be able to compile, link, and execute a COBOL program. State the rules associated with the COBOL coding sheet, and enter a program appropriately. Distinguish between compilation and execution; describe the function of a link program. Describe the environmental differences between a PC and a mainframe as they relate to execution of COBOL programs. Compile, link, and execute a COBOL program. Find and correct simple errors in compilation or execution. Page 2
CHAPTER 3: A Methodology for Program Development Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will develop an understanding of a methodology for program development, encompassing the techniques of structured design, structured programming, and top down testing. Describe how a hierarchy chart is developed; discuss three criteria for evaluating a completed hierarchy chart. Define structured programming; describe its three fundamental building blocks and an optional extension. Explain the one entry point/one exit point philosophy of structured programming. Differentiate between structured programming and structured Design; distinguish between a functionally oriented technique and one that is procedurally oriented. Describe what is meant by top down design and implementation. CHAPTER 4: The Identification, Environment, and Data Divisions Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will understand the purpose of the Identification, Environment, and Data Divisions and some of the details behind each division. Describe the COBOL notation and determine the appropriate syntax for any statement. Complete the Identification Division of a COBOL program. Complete the Environment Division of a COBOL program. Code a record description to show hierarchical relationships among fields containing numeric and alphanumeric entries. Code a Working-Storage Section to define various print lines. Understand the use of an assumed decimal point. Page 3
CHAPTER 5: The Procedure Division Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will develop an understanding of the Procedure Division, specifically the OPEN, CLOSE, READ, WRITE, STOP RUN, PERFORM, IF, EVALUATE, MOVE, COMPUTE, ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, and DIVIDE statements. CHAPTER 6: Debugging Write the OPEN, CLOSE, READ, and WRITE statements necessary for sequential file processing. Understand the purpose of the priming (initial) READ statement, and place it correctly in the Procedure Division. Understand the rules of the MOVE statement as they apply to numeric and alphanumeric fields. Understand the PERFORM statement; show how this statement is used to process a file until all of its records have been read. Understand the IF statement and how it is used with and without an ELSE clause; explain the significance of the END-IF scope terminator. Use the EVALUATE statement to implement a case (multibranch) construct. Understand the hierarchy of operations for a COMPUTE statement; describe the individual arithmetic statements, ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, and DIVIDE. Understand the ROUNDED and SIZE ERROR options as they apply to any of the arithmetic statements. Understand the relationship between a Procedure Division and its associated hierarchy chart. Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will understand the basics of debugging and how to handle compile and execution errors. Distinguish between errors in compilation and execution; correct typical compilation errors. Use the DISPLAY statement as a debugging tool. Explain how an interactive debugger can be used to find and correct execution errors. Describe the use of file status codes in correcting data management errors. Understand what is meant by a structured walkthrough; be able to participate as reviewer, reviewee, moderator, or secretary. Page 4
CHAPTER 7: Editing and Coding Standards Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will understand the uses and benefits of standards in programming. CHAPTER 8: Data Validation List the complete set of COBOL editing characters. Differentiate between a numeric field and a numeric-edited field; predict the results when a numeric field is moved to a numeric-edited field. Understand the difference between an implied decimal point and an actual decimal point; state the role of each in editing. Describe the rules for signed numbers and the editing characters +, -, CR, and DB. Understand the rationale for coding standards that go beyond the syntactical requirements of COBOL. Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to write programs that use the IF statement construct and incorporate data validation into programs. Describe the importance of data validation and its implementation in a stand-alone edit program. Understand the following validity tests: numeric test, alphabetic test, consistency check, sequence check, completeness check, date check, and subscript check. Understand the various types of conditions in an IF statement. Understand how to use a nested IF; indicate guidelines for proper indentation in coding such statements. Understand the advantages of the END-IF scope terminator; show how the scope terminator eliminates the need for the NEXT SENTENCE clause. Obtain the date (calendar and Julian) and time of execution; implement date checking in a program to ensure that the day and month are consistent. Page 5
CHAPTER 9: More About the Procedure Division Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to write programs using the DO WHILE, DO UNTIL, READ INTO, WRITE FROM, INITIALIZE, INSPECT, STRING, UNSTRING, and MOVE CORRESPONDING statements. CHAPTER 10: Differentiate between the DO WHILE and DO UNTIL structures; describe how each is implemented in conjunction with a PERFORM statement. Define an in-line perform and a false-condition branch; explain how the combination of these features eliminates the need for a priming read statement. Differentiate between a paragraph and a section. Code the READ INTO and WRITE FROM statements in the Procedure Division. Use the INITIALIZE statement. Perform basic string processing operations through use of the INSPECT, STRING, and UNSTRING statements. Define a duplicate data name and use qualification to eliminate ambiguity; describe the use of the MOVE CORRESPONDING statement. Screen I-O Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to incorporate the ACCEPT and DISPLAY statements. Also the student will understand the use of the SCREEN SECTION. Discuss the concept of screen I-O versus the file-oriented approach. Describe the ACCEPT AND DISPLAY statements; discuss at least three optional clauses for each statement. Describe the SCREEN SECTION and indicate why its use may be preferable to individual ACCEPT and DISPLAY statements. Differentiate between the background and foreground colors; implement a color scheme using ACCEPT and DISPLAY statements and/or the Screen Section. Describe how interactive data validation is implemented in a screen I-O program; contrast this technique to the batch-oriented procedure. Page 6
CHAPTER 11: Introduction to Tables Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to incorporate tables in their programs and understand the various statements associated with it. CHAPTER 12: Define a table and describe its use in programming. Use the OCCURS (at either the group or elementary level) to implement a table in COBOL. Use the PERFORM VARYING statement to process a table. Distinguish between fixed and variable length records; use the OCCURS DEPENDING ON clause to implement a variable length table. State the purpose of the USAGE clause. Differentiate between a subscript and an index. Table Lookups Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to look up data within their tables in a program. Define a table lookup and describe why it is used. Distinguish between a numeric, alphabetic, and alphanumeric code; describe several attributes of a good coding system. Distinguish between a sequential table lookup, a binary table lookup, and direct access to table entries. Distinguish between a table that is hard coded versus one that is input loaded. State the purpose of the VALUE, OCCURS, and REDEFINES clauses as they pertain to table definition and initialization. Define a range-step table. Code SEARCH and SEARCH ALL statements to implement table lookups. CHAPTER 13: Multilevel Tables Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to create multilevel tables and use statements to search through them. Describe a conceptual (user's) view on one-, two-, and three-level tables; implement (that is, define and initialize) one-, two-, and three-level tables in COBOL. Page 7
CHAPTER 13: Multilevel Tables Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to create multilevel tables and use statements to search through them. Differentiate between the VALUE, OCCURS, and REDEFINES clauses as they relate to table definition and initialization. Distinguish between errors in compilation versus errors in execution; give an example of each as it pertains to multilevel table processing. Explain the operation of a PERFORM VARYING statement; develop suitable examples to process tables in one, two, and three dimensions. Use the VARYING option of the SEARCH statement; nest SEARCH statements within one another for multilevel-table lookups. CHAPTER 14: Sorting Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to incorporate sorting techniques into their programs and understand the difference between sorting and merging. Distinguish between an internal sort, a utility sort, and the COBOL SORT statement. Differentiate between an ascending and a descending sort; between major, intermediate, and minor keys; and between primary, secondary, and tertiary keys. Define collating sequence; discuss the most significant differences between EBCDIC and ASCII and how the collating sequence affects fields with an embedded sign. Explain the syntax of the COBOL SORT statement, and the supporting RELEASE, RETURN, and SD statements. Explain the use of INPUT PROCEDURE to sort on a calculated field, and/or to selectively pass records to the sort work file. Distinguish between a merge and a sort. CHAPTER 15: Control Breaks Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to incorporate control breaks into their programs. Define control break; distinguish between a single control break and a multilevel control break. Explain the relationship between sorting and control breaks. Page 8
CHAPTER 15: Control Breaks Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to incorporate control breaks into their programs. CHAPTER 16: Design a hierarchy chart and pseudocode to implement any number of control breaks; evaluate the hierarchy chart with respect to completeness, functionality, and span of control. Use a general purpose algorithm to write a COBOL program for any number of control breaks. Develop COBOL programs for one-, two-, and three-level control breaks. Distinguish between rolling and running totals. Subprograms Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to incorporate subprograms within their programming. CHAPTER 17: Define a subprogram and describe its implementation in COBOL. Distinguish between a called and calling program; describe the use of a hierarchy chart to show the relationship of programs within a system. State the purpose of the COPY statement; indicate where it may be used within a program and how it can be used to pass a parameter list. Distinguish between the BY CONTENT and BY REFERENCE clauses as they relate to subprograms. Explain the function of the INITIAL phrase in the PROGRAM--ID paragraph. Describe the purpose of the linkage-editor; explain the meaning of an unresolved external reference. Sequential File Maintenance Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to access filesrelational databases. Describe the file maintenance operation; distinguish between the old master, transaction, and new master files. Describe the three transaction types associated with file maintenance. Differentiate between sequential and nonsequential file maintenance. Describe at least three types of errors than can be detected in a stand-alone edit program; list two errors that cannot be detected in such a program. Page 9
CHAPTER 17: Sequential File Maintenance Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to access filesrelational databases. CHAPTER 18: Discuss the balance line algorithm. Define top-down testing; explain how a program may be tested before it is completely coded. Indexed Files Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to access relational databases. Describe how an index file enables both sequential and/or nonsequential retrieval of individual records. Define the specific terms associated with IBM's VSAM implementation of indexed files. Discuss the clauses in the SELECT statement for an indexed file; indicate which clauses are optional and which are required. Define file status bytes; state how they may be used to verify the success of an I/O operation. Differentiate between the READ statements for sequential and nonsequential access of an indexed file. Differentiate between the WRITE, REWRITE, and DELETE statements as they apply to file maintenance of an indexed file. Describe the syntax of the START statement and give a reason for its use. Distinguish between the primary and alternate keys of an indexed file, and the requirements for each. Page 10
CHAPTER 20: Object-Oriented COBOL Programming Outcomes: Upon completion of this unit, the student will be able to access relational databases. Discuss the concept of Object-Oriented programming as compared to structured programming. Describe the structure of classes including the class definition as well as the Factory and instance definition. Be able to define some major OO concepts including: encapsulation, inheritance, persistence, and polymorphism. Describe the similarities and differences between the use of Objects and the use subroutines. Describe the advantages OO programming has over Structured Programming. State why OO programming does not invalidate all of the principles of Structured Programming. Projects Required: Projects will vary according to the instructor. Text Book: Contact the bookstore for current textbook information. References: None. Materials/Equipment Required: Personal COBOL (Include on CD with textbook) Attendance Policy: Students will adhere with the attendance policy discussed on the first day of class. Grading Policy: Grading procedures will vary according to the instructor. Maximum Class Size: 25 (On-line Class) Catalog Description of the Course: CIS1866 COBOL PROGRAMMING 3 HRS An introductory course to give computer science majors an introduction to programming in COBOL. Computer programs will be created using a structured programming approach. Various problems will be solved using COBOL. Refer to the following policies: 402.00 Academic Code of Conduct 263.00 Student Appeal of Course Grades 403.00 Student Code of Conduct Disability Services Program: Page 11
Cowley College, in recognition of state and federal laws, will accommodate a student with a documented disability. If a student has a disability which may impact work in this class which requires accommodations, contact the Disability Services Coordinator. Page 12