In this section, we will explore some real-world applications of COBOL, demonstrating its enduring relevance and versatility in various industries. By examining these projects, you will gain insights into how COBOL is used to solve complex business problems and manage large-scale data processing tasks.
Key Concepts
- Legacy Systems: Many organizations still rely on COBOL for their legacy systems due to its robustness and reliability.
- Batch Processing: COBOL is widely used for batch processing tasks, which involve processing large volumes of data.
- Transaction Processing: COBOL is also used in transaction processing systems, particularly in banking and finance.
- Integration with Modern Technologies: COBOL can be integrated with modern technologies such as web services and databases.
Example Projects
- Banking System
Description: A comprehensive banking system that handles customer accounts, transactions, loans, and reporting.
Key Features:
- Account Management: Create, update, and delete customer accounts.
- Transaction Processing: Handle deposits, withdrawals, and transfers.
- Loan Management: Process loan applications and manage loan accounts.
- Reporting: Generate financial reports and statements.
Code Example:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. BankingSystem.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 WS-ACCOUNT-NUMBER PIC 9(10).
01 WS-TRANSACTION-AMOUNT PIC 9(7)V99.
01 WS-BALANCE PIC 9(7)V99.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DISPLAY "Enter Account Number: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-ACCOUNT-NUMBER.
DISPLAY "Enter Transaction Amount: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-TRANSACTION-AMOUNT.
ADD WS-TRANSACTION-AMOUNT TO WS-BALANCE.
DISPLAY "Updated Balance: " WS-BALANCE.
STOP RUN.
- Inventory Management System
Description: A system to manage inventory levels, track stock movements, and generate inventory reports.
Key Features:
- Stock Management: Add, update, and delete inventory items.
- Stock Movement Tracking: Record stock in and stock out transactions.
- Reporting: Generate inventory status and movement reports.
Code Example:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. InventoryManagement.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 WS-ITEM-CODE PIC X(10).
01 WS-QUANTITY PIC 9(5).
01 WS-STOCK-LEVEL PIC 9(5).
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DISPLAY "Enter Item Code: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-ITEM-CODE.
DISPLAY "Enter Quantity: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-QUANTITY.
ADD WS-QUANTITY TO WS-STOCK-LEVEL.
DISPLAY "Updated Stock Level: " WS-STOCK-LEVEL.
STOP RUN.
- Payroll System
Description: A payroll system that calculates employee salaries, deductions, and generates pay slips.
Key Features:
- Employee Management: Add, update, and delete employee records.
- Salary Calculation: Calculate gross salary, deductions, and net salary.
- Pay Slip Generation: Generate and print pay slips for employees.
Code Example:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. PayrollSystem.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 WS-EMPLOYEE-ID PIC 9(5).
01 WS-GROSS-SALARY PIC 9(7)V99.
01 WS-DEDUCTIONS PIC 9(7)V99.
01 WS-NET-SALARY PIC 9(7)V99.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DISPLAY "Enter Employee ID: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-EMPLOYEE-ID.
DISPLAY "Enter Gross Salary: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-GROSS-SALARY.
DISPLAY "Enter Deductions: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-DEDUCTIONS.
SUBTRACT WS-DEDUCTIONS FROM WS-GROSS-SALARY GIVING WS-NET-SALARY.
DISPLAY "Net Salary: " WS-NET-SALARY.
STOP RUN.Practical Exercise
Task: Create a simple COBOL program to manage a library system. The system should allow users to add new books, update book information, and display the list of books.
Requirements:
- Book Management: Add, update, and display books.
- Book Information: Each book should have a title, author, and ISBN.
Solution:
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. LibrarySystem.
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 WS-BOOK-TITLE PIC X(50).
01 WS-BOOK-AUTHOR PIC X(30).
01 WS-BOOK-ISBN PIC X(13).
01 WS-OPTION PIC 9.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DISPLAY "Library System".
DISPLAY "1. Add Book".
DISPLAY "2. Update Book".
DISPLAY "3. Display Books".
DISPLAY "Enter Option: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-OPTION.
EVALUATE WS-OPTION
WHEN 1
PERFORM ADD-BOOK
WHEN 2
PERFORM UPDATE-BOOK
WHEN 3
PERFORM DISPLAY-BOOKS
WHEN OTHER
DISPLAY "Invalid Option".
END-EVALUATE.
STOP RUN.
ADD-BOOK.
DISPLAY "Enter Book Title: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-BOOK-TITLE.
DISPLAY "Enter Book Author: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-BOOK-AUTHOR.
DISPLAY "Enter Book ISBN: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-BOOK-ISBN.
DISPLAY "Book Added Successfully".
EXIT.
UPDATE-BOOK.
DISPLAY "Enter Book ISBN to Update: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-BOOK-ISBN.
DISPLAY "Enter New Book Title: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-BOOK-TITLE.
DISPLAY "Enter New Book Author: " WITH NO ADVANCING.
ACCEPT WS-BOOK-AUTHOR.
DISPLAY "Book Updated Successfully".
EXIT.
DISPLAY-BOOKS.
DISPLAY "Displaying All Books".
DISPLAY "Title: " WS-BOOK-TITLE.
DISPLAY "Author: " WS-BOOK-AUTHOR.
DISPLAY "ISBN: " WS-BOOK-ISBN.
EXIT.Conclusion
In this section, we explored real-world COBOL projects, demonstrating how COBOL is used in various industries to manage complex data processing tasks. By examining these examples, you should have a better understanding of COBOL's practical applications and its relevance in today's technology landscape. In the next section, we will delve into specific case studies to further illustrate COBOL's capabilities in real-world scenarios.