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COBOL ACTIVATE Statement

The ACTIVATE statement is used for activating report processing in COBOL.

Overview

The ACTIVATE statement initiates the report processing cycle by activating the report writer. It is the first step in the report generation process and prepares the report writer for processing data and generating formatted output.

This statement is essential for starting any report processing operation and must be used before any report data can be processed or generated.

Syntax

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ACTIVATE report-name

Basic syntax for the ACTIVATE statement. The report-name specifies which report to activate for processing.

Parameters

  • report-name: The name of the report to activate for processing

Practical Examples

Example 1: Basic Report Activation

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. ACTIVATE-EXAMPLE.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       REPORT SECTION.
       RD  SALES-REPORT
           PAGE LIMIT IS 60 LINES
           HEADING 1
           FIRST DETAIL 5
           LAST DETAIL 55
           FOOTING 58.
       
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  WS-SALES-DATA.
           05  WS-PRODUCT-NAME    PIC X(30).
           05  WS-SALES-AMOUNT    PIC 9(8)V99.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-PROCESS.
           * Activate the report for processing
           ACTIVATE SALES-REPORT
           
           * Process sales data
           MOVE "Product A" TO WS-PRODUCT-NAME
           MOVE 1500.75 TO WS-SALES-AMOUNT
           
           * Generate report output
           GENERATE SALES-REPORT
           
           * Terminate report processing
           TERMINATE SALES-REPORT
           
           STOP RUN.

This example demonstrates basic report activation. The ACTIVATE statement starts the report processing for SALES-REPORT, allowing subsequent GENERATE statements to produce report output.

Example 2: Multiple Report Activation

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. MULTI-REPORT-ACTIVATION.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       REPORT SECTION.
       RD  SUMMARY-REPORT
           PAGE LIMIT IS 40 LINES.
       
       RD  DETAIL-REPORT
           PAGE LIMIT IS 60 LINES.
       
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  WS-REPORT-SELECTION   PIC X(1).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       PROCESS-REPORTS.
           DISPLAY "Select report (S=Summary, D=Detail): "
           ACCEPT WS-REPORT-SELECTION
           
           EVALUATE WS-REPORT-SELECTION
               WHEN "S"
                   ACTIVATE SUMMARY-REPORT
                   PERFORM GENERATE-SUMMARY-REPORT
                   TERMINATE SUMMARY-REPORT
               WHEN "D"
                   ACTIVATE DETAIL-REPORT
                   PERFORM GENERATE-DETAIL-REPORT
                   TERMINATE DETAIL-REPORT
               WHEN OTHER
                   DISPLAY "Invalid selection"
           END-EVALUATE
           
           STOP RUN.
       
       GENERATE-SUMMARY-REPORT.
           DISPLAY "Generating summary report...".
       
       GENERATE-DETAIL-REPORT.
           DISPLAY "Generating detail report...".

This example shows how to activate different reports based on user selection. Each report type is activated separately, and the appropriate report processing is performed based on the user's choice.

Example 3: Report Processing with Data

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. DATA-REPORT-PROCESSING.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       REPORT SECTION.
       RD  INVENTORY-REPORT
           PAGE LIMIT IS 50 LINES.
       
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  WS-INVENTORY-RECORD.
           05  WS-ITEM-CODE       PIC X(10).
           05  WS-ITEM-DESCRIPTION PIC X(40).
           05  WS-QUANTITY        PIC 9(5).
           05  WS-UNIT-PRICE      PIC 9(6)V99.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       PROCESS-INVENTORY.
           * Activate the inventory report
           ACTIVATE INVENTORY-REPORT
           
           * Process inventory data
           PERFORM PROCESS-INVENTORY-DATA
           
           * Terminate the report
           TERMINATE INVENTORY-REPORT
           
           STOP RUN.
       
       PROCESS-INVENTORY-DATA.
           * Simulate processing inventory records
           MOVE "ITEM001" TO WS-ITEM-CODE
           MOVE "Laptop Computer" TO WS-ITEM-DESCRIPTION
           MOVE 25 TO WS-QUANTITY
           MOVE 999.99 TO WS-UNIT-PRICE
           
           * Generate report line
           GENERATE INVENTORY-REPORT.

This example demonstrates report activation with data processing. The ACTIVATE statement starts the report processing, followed by data processing and report generation, and finally termination of the report.

Best Practices and Considerations

Best Practices

  • Always activate reports before processing any report data
  • Ensure proper report termination after processing
  • Use meaningful report names for clarity
  • Handle multiple reports carefully to avoid conflicts
  • Test report activation with various data scenarios

Considerations

  • Report definition requirements in the REPORT SECTION
  • Memory usage and performance implications
  • Error handling for report processing
  • Report formatting and layout considerations
  • Integration with other report processing statements

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the primary purpose of the ACTIVATE statement in COBOL?

  • To activate program execution
  • To activate report processing
  • To activate file operations
  • To activate memory allocation

2. In which COBOL division is the ACTIVATE statement typically used?

  • IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
  • ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
  • DATA DIVISION
  • PROCEDURE DIVISION

3. What is the relationship between ACTIVATE and report processing?

  • They are unrelated
  • ACTIVATE starts report processing
  • Report processing enables ACTIVATE
  • They are the same thing

4. When should you use the ACTIVATE statement?

  • At the end of report processing
  • At the beginning of report processing
  • Only for error conditions
  • Only when closing files

5. What happens when an ACTIVATE statement is executed?

  • The program stops
  • Report processing is initialized and started
  • All files are closed
  • Memory is freed

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

TERMINATE Statement

Ending report processing

GENERATE Statement

Producing report output

Report Writer

Understanding report writer functionality

Report Section

Defining reports in the REPORT SECTION

Report Processing

Overview of report processing in COBOL

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