COBOL Tutorial

COBOL File Description (FD)

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FILE SECTION and FD Entries

The FILE SECTION is a crucial part of the DATA DIVISION in COBOL programs that process files. Within the FILE SECTION, each file used by the program must have a File Description (FD) entry that defines the physical characteristics of the file and serves as a link between the physical file structure and the logical record layout.

Basic Structure

The FILE SECTION begins with the header "FILE SECTION." followed by FD entries for each file. Each FD entry corresponds to a file that was defined with a SELECT statement in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.

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DATA DIVISION.
FILE SECTION.
FD  EMPLOYEE-FILE
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    BLOCK CONTAINS 10 RECORDS
    RECORD CONTAINS 80 CHARACTERS.
01  EMPLOYEE-RECORD.
    05  EMPLOYEE-ID       PIC 9(5).
    05  EMPLOYEE-NAME     PIC X(30).
    05  EMPLOYEE-ADDRESS  PIC X(35).
    05  EMPLOYEE-SALARY   PIC 9(7)V99.
 
FD  PAYROLL-FILE
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    RECORD CONTAINS 50 CHARACTERS.
01  PAYROLL-RECORD.
    05  PR-EMPLOYEE-ID    PIC 9(5).
    05  PR-PAY-DATE       PIC 9(8).
    05  PR-GROSS-PAY      PIC 9(7)V99.
    05  PR-DEDUCTIONS     PIC 9(7)V99.
    05  PR-NET-PAY        PIC 9(7)V99.
    05  FILLER            PIC X(6).

This example shows a FILE SECTION with two FD entries, one for an employee file and one for a payroll file. Each FD is followed by a record description (01-level item) that defines the logical record structure.

Relationship to ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

Each FD entry must correspond to a file that was previously defined with a SELECT statement in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION. The file name used in the FD entry must match the file name used in the SELECT statement.

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ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE-CONTROL.
    SELECT EMPLOYEE-FILE
        ASSIGN TO EMPFILE
        ORGANIZATION IS INDEXED
        ACCESS MODE IS DYNAMIC
        RECORD KEY IS EMPLOYEE-ID
        FILE STATUS IS EMPLOYEE-FILE-STATUS.
 
DATA DIVISION.
FILE SECTION.
FD  EMPLOYEE-FILE
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    RECORD CONTAINS 80 CHARACTERS.
01  EMPLOYEE-RECORD.
    05  EMPLOYEE-ID       PIC 9(5).
    05  EMPLOYEE-NAME     PIC X(30).
    05  EMPLOYEE-ADDRESS  PIC X(35).
    05  EMPLOYEE-SALARY   PIC 9(7)V99.

In this example, the file "EMPLOYEE-FILE" is defined in both the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION (with a SELECT statement) and the DATA DIVISION (with an FD entry). This connection links the physical file characteristics to the logical record layout.

Multiple Record Descriptions

An FD entry can be followed by multiple 01-level record descriptions, which is useful when a file contains different record types or when you need different views of the same data.

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FD  CUSTOMER-FILE
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    RECORD CONTAINS 100 CHARACTERS.
01  CUSTOMER-RECORD.
    05  RECORD-TYPE        PIC X.
        88  CUSTOMER-HEADER VALUE "H".
        88  CUSTOMER-DETAIL VALUE "D".
        88  CUSTOMER-FOOTER VALUE "F".
    05  CUSTOMER-DATA      PIC X(99).
 
01  CUSTOMER-HEADER-RECORD REDEFINES CUSTOMER-RECORD.
    05  HR-RECORD-TYPE     PIC X.
    05  HR-FILE-DATE       PIC 9(8).
    05  HR-RECORD-COUNT    PIC 9(5).
    05  HR-FILLER          PIC X(86).
 
01  CUSTOMER-DETAIL-RECORD REDEFINES CUSTOMER-RECORD.
    05  DR-RECORD-TYPE     PIC X.
    05  DR-CUSTOMER-ID     PIC 9(5).
    05  DR-CUSTOMER-NAME   PIC X(30).
    05  DR-CUSTOMER-ADDR   PIC X(50).
    05  DR-ACCOUNT-STATUS  PIC X.
    05  DR-FILLER          PIC X(13).
 
01  CUSTOMER-FOOTER-RECORD REDEFINES CUSTOMER-RECORD.
    05  FR-RECORD-TYPE     PIC X.
    05  FR-TOTAL-CUSTOMERS PIC 9(5).
    05  FR-FILLER          PIC X(94).

This example shows a file with three different record types (header, detail, and footer), each with its own record description. The REDEFINES clause indicates that each record layout is an alternative view of the same storage area.

LABEL RECORDS Clause

The LABEL RECORDS clause in an FD entry historically specified whether the file had standard labels, user labels, or no labels. In modern COBOL, this clause is often optional or treated as syntax-only, as file labeling is typically handled by the operating system or file system.

Syntax and Options

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FD  file-name
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    ...
 
FD  file-name
    LABEL RECORDS ARE OMITTED
    ...
 
FD  file-name
    LABEL RECORDS ARE data-name
    ...

STANDARD - The file has standard labels (most common)
OMITTED - The file does not have labels
data-name - The file has user labels, with the data-name identifying the user label records

Historical Context

The LABEL RECORDS clause dates back to the early days of COBOL when files were often stored on tapes or other sequential media. Labels provided information about the file, such as:

File name and creation date
Record format and blocking information
Expiration date for retention purposes
Security and access control information
Volume labels for multi-volume files

In modern systems, this information is typically managed by the file system or database management system, making the LABEL RECORDS clause less relevant. However, it is still required in some COBOL dialects for backward compatibility.

Modern Usage

In contemporary COBOL applications, you'll typically see one of these approaches:

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* Option 1: Include the clause with STANDARD
FD  CUSTOMER-FILE
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    ...
 
* Option 2: Omit the clause entirely (if your compiler allows)
FD  CUSTOMER-FILE
    ...
 
* Option 3: Use a compiler directive to make it optional
>>DEFINE LABEL-RECORDS-NOT-REQUIRED
FD  CUSTOMER-FILE
    ...

Most modern COBOL programs use Option 1 (LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD) for compatibility, even though the clause may not have a functional impact on the file processing.

BLOCK CONTAINS Clause

The BLOCK CONTAINS clause specifies the size of physical blocks or the blocking factor for a file. Blocking is the process of grouping multiple logical records into a single physical record to improve I/O efficiency. This clause is particularly important for files on tape or other sequential storage media.

Syntax and Options

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* Specify number of records per block
FD  file-name
    BLOCK CONTAINS 10 RECORDS
    ...
 
* Specify block size in characters or words
FD  file-name
    BLOCK CONTAINS 800 CHARACTERS
    ...
 
FD  file-name
    BLOCK CONTAINS 200 TO 400 CHARACTERS
    ...
 
FD  file-name
    BLOCK CONTAINS 100 WORDS
    ...

You can specify the block size in terms of RECORDS, CHARACTERS, or WORDS
For variable-length blocks, you can specify a range (TO clause)
If CHARACTERS or WORDS is omitted, CHARACTERS is assumed
A WORD is typically defined as a platform-specific unit (often 4 bytes)

Blocking Factor and Optimization

The blocking factor (number of records per block) affects I/O performance:

Larger blocks reduce the number of I/O operations needed to process a file
Smaller blocks use memory more efficiently and may improve random access
Optimal block size depends on the storage medium and access patterns
For sequential files, larger blocks usually improve performance
For indexed files, the block size affects the efficiency of index searches

Example with Performance Impact

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* Scenario 1: Small blocking factor
FD  TRANSACTION-FILE-1
    BLOCK CONTAINS 1 RECORD
    RECORD CONTAINS 100 CHARACTERS.
 
* Scenario 2: Larger blocking factor
FD  TRANSACTION-FILE-2
    BLOCK CONTAINS 50 RECORDS
    RECORD CONTAINS 100 CHARACTERS.

Impact of blocking on a file with 10,000 records of 100 characters each:

Scenario	Block Size	Blocks Required	I/O Operations
Small blocking	100 bytes	10,000	10,000
Large blocking	5,000 bytes	200	200

The second scenario requires significantly fewer I/O operations, potentially improving performance but requiring more memory for each I/O buffer.

Modern Considerations

In contemporary computing environments:

Many file systems and database systems automatically handle blocking
The BLOCK CONTAINS clause may be ignored by some runtime environments
For mainframe applications, proper blocking is still important for performance
For disk files, the operating system's buffer cache may mitigate some blocking issues
Cloud-based or distributed storage systems have their own optimization mechanisms

RECORD CONTAINS Clause

The RECORD CONTAINS clause specifies the size of logical records in a file. It defines how much data is processed as a single unit when reading from or writing to a file. This clause is essential for defining the record format, especially for fixed-length and variable-length record handling.

Syntax Variations

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* Fixed-length records
FD  CUSTOMER-FILE
    RECORD CONTAINS 100 CHARACTERS
    ...
 
* Variable-length records
FD  TRANSACTION-FILE
    RECORD IS VARYING IN SIZE FROM 50 TO 150 CHARACTERS
    DEPENDING ON RECORD-SIZE
    ...
 
* Omitting the clause (size determined from record description)
FD  PRODUCT-FILE
    ...
01  PRODUCT-RECORD.
    05  PRODUCT-ID      PIC 9(5).
    05  PRODUCT-NAME    PIC X(30).
    05  PRODUCT-PRICE   PIC 9(5)V99.
    * Record size is implicitly 42 characters

For fixed-length records, specify a single size
For variable-length records, specify a range using FROM and TO
Use DEPENDING ON to reference a field that contains the actual record length
If omitted, the record size is determined from the record description

Working with Variable-Length Records

When working with variable-length records, you must manage the record size field:

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. VARLEN.
 
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE-CONTROL.
    SELECT VARIABLE-FILE ASSIGN TO "VARDATA.DAT"
        ORGANIZATION IS SEQUENTIAL
        ACCESS MODE IS SEQUENTIAL
        FILE STATUS IS FILE-STATUS.
 
DATA DIVISION.
FILE SECTION.
FD  VARIABLE-FILE
    RECORD IS VARYING IN SIZE FROM 10 TO 100 CHARACTERS
    DEPENDING ON RECORD-SIZE.
01  VARIABLE-RECORD.
    05  RECORD-TYPE    PIC X.
    05  DATA-FIELD     PIC X(99).
 
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  FILE-STATUS       PIC XX.
01  RECORD-SIZE       PIC 9(3).
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESS.
    OPEN OUTPUT VARIABLE-FILE
    
    * Write a short record
    MOVE "A" TO RECORD-TYPE
    MOVE "SHORT DATA" TO DATA-FIELD
    MOVE 10 TO RECORD-SIZE
    WRITE VARIABLE-RECORD
    
    * Write a longer record
    MOVE "B" TO RECORD-TYPE
    MOVE "THIS IS A MUCH LONGER DATA RECORD WITH MORE INFORMATION" 
         TO DATA-FIELD
    MOVE 50 TO RECORD-SIZE
    WRITE VARIABLE-RECORD
    
    CLOSE VARIABLE-FILE
    STOP RUN.

This example shows how to write variable-length records. The RECORD-SIZE field in WORKING-STORAGE is set before each WRITE operation to indicate the actual length of the current record.

Fixed vs. Variable Length Considerations

Aspect	Fixed-Length	Variable-Length
Storage Efficiency	Less efficient - all records use maximum space	More efficient - only uses needed space
Processing Complexity	Simpler to process	More complex - must track record sizes
Random Access	Easy - can calculate record position	Difficult - cannot predict record position
I/O Performance	Predictable, often faster	May be slower due to additional processing
Use Case	Uniform data, indexed files	Diverse data sizes, space optimization

CODE-SET Clause

The CODE-SET clause specifies the character code set used for a file. This is particularly important in environments where data might be exchanged between systems with different character encodings, such as EBCDIC (mainframes) and ASCII (most distributed systems).

Basic Syntax

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FD  DATA-FILE
    CODE-SET IS ALPHABET-NAME
    ...
 
* Example with a specific alphabet
FD  IMPORT-FILE
    CODE-SET IS ASCII-ALPHABET
    ...

The ALPHABET-NAME must be defined in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph of the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.

Complete Example with Character Set Conversion

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. CODESET.
 
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
CONFIGURATION SECTION.
SPECIAL-NAMES.
    ALPHABET ASCII-ALPHABET IS STANDARD-1
    ALPHABET EBCDIC-ALPHABET IS STANDARD-2.
 
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE-CONTROL.
    SELECT ASCII-FILE ASSIGN TO "ASCIIDATA.TXT"
        ORGANIZATION IS LINE SEQUENTIAL
        FILE STATUS IS ASCII-STATUS.
        
    SELECT EBCDIC-FILE ASSIGN TO "EBCDICDATA.DAT"
        ORGANIZATION IS SEQUENTIAL
        FILE STATUS IS EBCDIC-STATUS.
 
DATA DIVISION.
FILE SECTION.
FD  ASCII-FILE
    CODE-SET IS ASCII-ALPHABET
    RECORD CONTAINS 80 CHARACTERS.
01  ASCII-RECORD          PIC X(80).
 
FD  EBCDIC-FILE
    CODE-SET IS EBCDIC-ALPHABET
    RECORD CONTAINS 80 CHARACTERS.
01  EBCDIC-RECORD         PIC X(80).
 
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  FILE-STATUSES.
    05  ASCII-STATUS      PIC XX.
    05  EBCDIC-STATUS     PIC XX.
01  EOF-FLAG              PIC X VALUE 'N'.
    88  END-OF-FILE         VALUE 'Y'.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESS.
    PERFORM INITIALIZATION
    PERFORM PROCESS-FILES UNTIL END-OF-FILE
    PERFORM FINALIZATION
    STOP RUN.
 
INITIALIZATION.
    OPEN INPUT ASCII-FILE
    OPEN OUTPUT EBCDIC-FILE
    
    IF ASCII-STATUS NOT = "00"
       DISPLAY "Error opening ASCII file: " ASCII-STATUS
       MOVE "Y" TO EOF-FLAG
    END-IF.
 
PROCESS-FILES.
    READ ASCII-FILE
       AT END
          MOVE "Y" TO EOF-FLAG
       NOT AT END
          MOVE ASCII-RECORD TO EBCDIC-RECORD
          WRITE EBCDIC-RECORD
    END-READ.
 
FINALIZATION.
    CLOSE ASCII-FILE
    CLOSE EBCDIC-FILE
    DISPLAY "File conversion completed.".

This example reads data from an ASCII file and writes it to an EBCDIC file. The CODE-SET clause ensures that character code conversion happens automatically during file operations. The ALPHABETs are defined in the SPECIAL-NAMES paragraph.

Character Set Considerations

Different computing environments use different character encodings:

Encoding	Common Environment	Characteristics
EBCDIC	IBM mainframes, AS/400	8-bit, non-ASCII compatible, multiple variants
ASCII	UNIX, Linux, Windows, Mac	7-bit standard, widely used in text files
ANSI/Windows	Windows systems	8-bit extension of ASCII with code pages
UTF-8	Modern web, cross-platform	Variable-length, Unicode compatible

The CODE-SET clause is crucial when exchanging data between these different environments, particularly in mainframe-to-distributed system integration scenarios.

Modern Usage and Alternatives

In contemporary COBOL environments:

Character set conversion is often handled by middleware or file transfer utilities
Unicode support varies across COBOL implementations
Some environments offer built-in functions for character set conversion
Enterprise integration tools often handle encoding issues
For complex character set issues, specialized conversion routines may be needed

Exercises

Exercise 1: Creating FD Entries

Write an FD entry for a customer master file with the following requirements:

Fixed-length records of 200 characters
Blocked with 20 records per block
Standard labels
Customer ID (9 digits), name (50 characters), address (100 characters), and status code (1 character)

Solution

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FD  CUSTOMER-MASTER-FILE
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    BLOCK CONTAINS 20 RECORDS
    RECORD CONTAINS 200 CHARACTERS.
01  CUSTOMER-RECORD.
    05  CUSTOMER-ID        PIC 9(9).
    05  CUSTOMER-NAME      PIC X(50).
    05  CUSTOMER-ADDRESS   PIC X(100).
    05  CUSTOMER-STATUS    PIC X.
    05  FILLER             PIC X(40).

Note that a FILLER field is added to pad the record to 200 characters.

Exercise 2: Variable-Length Records

Write the FILE SECTION for a program that processes transaction records with variable lengths ranging from 50 to 200 characters. The record length is stored in a field called TRANS-LENGTH. Include appropriate record descriptions.

Solution

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FILE SECTION.
FD  TRANSACTION-FILE
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    RECORD IS VARYING IN SIZE FROM 50 TO 200 CHARACTERS
    DEPENDING ON TRANS-LENGTH.
01  TRANSACTION-RECORD.
    05  TRANS-CODE         PIC X(2).
    05  TRANS-DATE         PIC 9(8).
    05  TRANS-AMOUNT       PIC 9(7)V99.
    05  TRANS-DESCRIPTION  PIC X(181).
 
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  TRANS-LENGTH          PIC 9(3).

The TRANS-LENGTH field in WORKING-STORAGE will hold the actual length of each record and must be set before each WRITE operation.

Exercise 3: Multiple Record Types

Create a FILE SECTION for an inventory file that contains three types of records: header records (type 'H'), detail records (type 'D'), and trailer records (type 'T'). Each record is 100 characters long.

Solution

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FILE SECTION.
FD  INVENTORY-FILE
    LABEL RECORDS ARE STANDARD
    RECORD CONTAINS 100 CHARACTERS.
01  INVENTORY-RECORD.
    05  RECORD-TYPE        PIC X.
        88  HEADER-RECORD     VALUE 'H'.
        88  DETAIL-RECORD     VALUE 'D'.
        88  TRAILER-RECORD    VALUE 'T'.
    05  RECORD-DATA        PIC X(99).
 
01  HEADER-RECORD REDEFINES INVENTORY-RECORD.
    05  HR-TYPE            PIC X.
    05  HR-FILE-DATE       PIC 9(8).
    05  HR-COMPANY-NAME    PIC X(50).
    05  HR-VERSION         PIC 9(2).
    05  HR-FILLER          PIC X(39).
 
01  DETAIL-RECORD REDEFINES INVENTORY-RECORD.
    05  DR-TYPE            PIC X.
    05  DR-ITEM-NUMBER     PIC 9(10).
    05  DR-ITEM-NAME       PIC X(30).
    05  DR-QUANTITY        PIC 9(5).
    05  DR-UNIT-PRICE      PIC 9(5)V99.
    05  DR-LOCATION        PIC X(10).
    05  DR-STATUS          PIC X.
    05  DR-FILLER          PIC X(36).
 
01  TRAILER-RECORD REDEFINES INVENTORY-RECORD.
    05  TR-TYPE            PIC X.
    05  TR-RECORD-COUNT    PIC 9(10).
    05  TR-TOTAL-ITEMS     PIC 9(10).
    05  TR-TOTAL-VALUE     PIC 9(10)V99.
    05  TR-FILLER          PIC X(66).

This solution uses REDEFINES to provide different views of the same record area depending on the record type. Condition names (88-level items) make it easy to check record types in the procedure division.

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the purpose of the FD entry in COBOL?

To establish a connection between COBOL programs and external files
To describe the physical characteristics of a file
To define file organization in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
To create a new file system

2. Where in a COBOL program would you find the FD entry?

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
FILE SECTION of the DATA DIVISION
PROCEDURE DIVISION

3. What is the purpose of the LABEL RECORDS clause in an FD entry?

To create backup labels for files
To specify whether records contain user labels
To apply encryption labels
To define named constants

4. What does the BLOCK CONTAINS clause specify?

The number of logical records in each physical block
The size of individual fields in the record
The number of files that can be processed simultaneously
The maximum record size

5. What is the relationship between a file defined with SELECT in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION and its FD entry?

They must use different file names
The file name must be the same in both the SELECT and FD entry
The SELECT statement must come after the FD entry
There is no relationship between them

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL File Description (FD)

FILE SECTION and FD Entries

Basic Structure

Relationship to ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

Multiple Record Descriptions

LABEL RECORDS Clause

Syntax and Options

Historical Context

Modern Usage

BLOCK CONTAINS Clause

Syntax and Options

Blocking Factor and Optimization

Example with Performance Impact

Modern Considerations

RECORD CONTAINS Clause

Syntax Variations

Working with Variable-Length Records

Fixed vs. Variable Length Considerations

CODE-SET Clause

Basic Syntax

Complete Example with Character Set Conversion

Character Set Considerations

Modern Usage and Alternatives

Exercises

Exercise 1: Creating FD Entries

Exercise 2: Variable-Length Records

Exercise 3: Multiple Record Types

Test Your Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

File Organization Types

Sequential File Operations

DATA DIVISION Sections

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

File Status and Error Handling

Related Pages

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL File Description (FD)

FILE SECTION and FD Entries

Basic Structure

Relationship to ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

Multiple Record Descriptions

LABEL RECORDS Clause

Syntax and Options

Historical Context

Modern Usage

BLOCK CONTAINS Clause

Syntax and Options

Blocking Factor and Optimization

Example with Performance Impact

Modern Considerations

RECORD CONTAINS Clause

Syntax Variations

Working with Variable-Length Records

Fixed vs. Variable Length Considerations

CODE-SET Clause

Basic Syntax

Complete Example with Character Set Conversion

Character Set Considerations

Modern Usage and Alternatives

Exercises

Exercise 1: Creating FD Entries

Exercise 2: Variable-Length Records

Exercise 3: Multiple Record Types

Test Your Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between BLOCK CONTAINS and RECORD CONTAINS clauses?

Is the FILE SECTION required in all COBOL programs?

Can multiple record layouts be defined for a single file?

What happens if RECORD CONTAINS clause is omitted from an FD entry?

What is the purpose of the CODE-SET clause in an FD entry?

Related Concepts

File Organization Types

Sequential File Operations

DATA DIVISION Sections

ENVIRONMENT DIVISION

File Status and Error Handling

Related Pages