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COBOL Tutorial

COBOL GREATER Condition

The GREATER condition represents a fundamental relational comparison operator within COBOL conditional expression systems, serving as the primary specification for testing whether one value exceeds another in magnitude, sequence, or logical ordering within program control structures. This condition embodies the principles of comparative analysis by providing precise value relationship evaluation capabilities, enabling sophisticated decision-making patterns, and supporting comprehensive data validation architectures while maintaining compatibility with diverse data types and ensuring predictable comparison behavior in enterprise applications that require robust conditional logic, range validation, and business rule implementation with reliable relational testing and accurate value assessment mechanisms across numeric, alphanumeric, and specialized data formats.

Syntax and Usage

GREATER Condition Syntax
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IF operand1 GREATER THAN operand2
IF operand1 GREATER operand2
IF operand1 > operand2
 
*> Examples:
IF SALES-AMOUNT GREATER THAN 10000
IF AGE > 18
IF BALANCE GREATER MINIMUM-BALANCE
IF CURRENT-DATE GREATER THAN DUE-DATE
Comparison
Conditional
Relational

Basic GREATER Examples

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. GREATER-CONDITION-EXAMPLES.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  NUMERIC-COMPARISONS.
    05  SALES-AMOUNT        PIC 9(7)V99 VALUE 15000.50.
    05  QUOTA-TARGET        PIC 9(7)V99 VALUE 12000.00.
    05  EMPLOYEE-AGE        PIC 9(3) VALUE 25.
    05  RETIREMENT-AGE      PIC 9(3) VALUE 65.
    05  ACCOUNT-BALANCE     PIC S9(8)V99 VALUE 2500.75.
    05  MINIMUM-BALANCE     PIC 9(6)V99 VALUE 100.00.
 
01  ALPHANUMERIC-COMPARISONS.
    05  CUSTOMER-NAME       PIC X(30) VALUE 'JOHNSON, ROBERT'.
    05  REFERENCE-NAME      PIC X(30) VALUE 'ADAMS, MARY'.
    05  PRODUCT-CODE        PIC X(10) VALUE 'PRD-12345'.
    05  MINIMUM-CODE        PIC X(10) VALUE 'PRD-10000'.
 
01  DATE-COMPARISONS.
    05  ORDER-DATE          PIC 9(8) VALUE 20240315.
    05  SHIP-DATE           PIC 9(8) VALUE 20240320.
    05  CURRENT-DATE-WORK   PIC 9(8).
 
01  VALIDATION-FLAGS.
    05  SALES-EXCEEDED      PIC X VALUE 'N'.
    05  ELIGIBLE-RETIREMENT PIC X VALUE 'N'.
    05  ACCOUNT-VALID       PIC X VALUE 'N'.
 
01  WS-WORK-VARIABLES.
    05  WS-YEARS-TO-RETIREMENT  PIC 9(2).
    05  WS-DEFICIT              PIC 9(6)V99.
    05  WS-DAYS-DIFF            PIC 9(3).
    05  WS-EXCESS               PIC 9(6).
    05  WS-DAYS-SUPPLY          PIC 9(3).
    05  WS-EXCESS-TIME          PIC 9(3).
    05  WS-ERROR-PERCENT        PIC 9(2)V99.
    05  WS-SHORTFALL            PIC 9(5).
    05  WS-MARGIN-GAP           PIC 9(2)V99.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
MAIN-PROCESSING.
    MOVE FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE(1:8) TO CURRENT-DATE-WORK
    
    *> Numeric comparisons
    IF SALES-AMOUNT GREATER THAN QUOTA-TARGET
        MOVE 'Y' TO SALES-EXCEEDED
        DISPLAY 'Sales quota exceeded!'
        DISPLAY 'Sales: $' SALES-AMOUNT ' Quota: $' QUOTA-TARGET
    ELSE
        DISPLAY 'Sales quota not met'
    END-IF
    
    *> Age comparison for retirement eligibility
    IF EMPLOYEE-AGE GREATER THAN RETIREMENT-AGE
        MOVE 'Y' TO ELIGIBLE-RETIREMENT
        DISPLAY 'Employee eligible for retirement'
    ELSE
        COMPUTE WS-YEARS-TO-RETIREMENT = RETIREMENT-AGE - EMPLOYEE-AGE
        DISPLAY 'Years to retirement: ' WS-YEARS-TO-RETIREMENT
    END-IF
    
    *> Account balance validation
    IF ACCOUNT-BALANCE > MINIMUM-BALANCE
        MOVE 'Y' TO ACCOUNT-VALID
        DISPLAY 'Account balance is sufficient'
    ELSE
        DISPLAY 'Warning: Account balance below minimum'
        COMPUTE WS-DEFICIT = MINIMUM-BALANCE - ACCOUNT-BALANCE
        DISPLAY 'Deficit: $' WS-DEFICIT
    END-IF
    
    *> Alphanumeric comparison (collating sequence)
    IF CUSTOMER-NAME GREATER THAN REFERENCE-NAME
        DISPLAY 'Customer name comes after reference alphabetically'
    ELSE
        DISPLAY 'Customer name comes before or equals reference'
    END-IF
    
    *> Product code range validation
    IF PRODUCT-CODE GREATER MINIMUM-CODE
        DISPLAY 'Product code is in valid range'
    ELSE
        DISPLAY 'Product code below minimum range'
    END-IF
    
    *> Date comparison
    IF SHIP-DATE GREATER THAN ORDER-DATE
        COMPUTE WS-DAYS-DIFF = SHIP-DATE - ORDER-DATE
        DISPLAY 'Ship date is ' WS-DAYS-DIFF ' days after order'
    END-IF
    
    IF CURRENT-DATE-WORK GREATER THAN SHIP-DATE
        DISPLAY 'Order has already shipped'
    ELSE
        DISPLAY 'Order has not shipped yet'
    END-IF
    
    STOP RUN.

Key Features and Applications

Data Type Support
  • • Numeric value comparison
  • • Alphanumeric collating sequence
  • • Date and time comparisons
  • • Mixed data type handling
Business Applications
  • • Range validation
  • • Threshold checking
  • • Performance analysis
  • • Eligibility determination

Interactive Tutorial

Hands-On Exercise: Business Rule Implementation
Practice using GREATER for business logic and validation rules

Exercise 1: Sales Commission Tiers

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01 COMMISSION-STRUCTURE.
   05 SALES-AMOUNT PIC 9(7)V99.
   05 COMMISSION-RATE PIC 9V9999.
   05 COMMISSION-AMOUNT PIC 9(6)V99.
 
01 TIER-THRESHOLDS.
   05 BRONZE-THRESHOLD PIC 9(6) VALUE 10000.
   05 SILVER-THRESHOLD PIC 9(6) VALUE 25000.
   05 GOLD-THRESHOLD PIC 9(6) VALUE 50000.
   05 PLATINUM-THRESHOLD PIC 9(6) VALUE 100000.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
CALCULATE-COMMISSION.
    IF SALES-AMOUNT GREATER THAN PLATINUM-THRESHOLD
        MOVE 0.15 TO COMMISSION-RATE
        DISPLAY 'Platinum tier: 15% commission'
    ELSE
        IF SALES-AMOUNT GREATER THAN GOLD-THRESHOLD
            MOVE 0.12 TO COMMISSION-RATE
            DISPLAY 'Gold tier: 12% commission'
        ELSE
            IF SALES-AMOUNT GREATER THAN SILVER-THRESHOLD
                MOVE 0.08 TO COMMISSION-RATE
                DISPLAY 'Silver tier: 8% commission'
            ELSE
                IF SALES-AMOUNT GREATER THAN BRONZE-THRESHOLD
                    MOVE 0.05 TO COMMISSION-RATE
                    DISPLAY 'Bronze tier: 5% commission'
                ELSE
                    MOVE 0.02 TO COMMISSION-RATE
                    DISPLAY 'Base tier: 2% commission'
                END-IF
            END-IF
        END-IF
    END-IF
    
    MULTIPLY SALES-AMOUNT BY COMMISSION-RATE GIVING COMMISSION-AMOUNT.

Exercise 2: Credit Score Evaluation

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01 CREDIT-EVALUATION.
   05 CREDIT-SCORE PIC 9(3).
   05 ANNUAL-INCOME PIC 9(8)V99.
   05 DEBT-TO-INCOME PIC 9V99.
   05 APPROVAL-STATUS PIC X(20).
 
01 CREDIT-CRITERIA.
   05 EXCELLENT-SCORE PIC 9(3) VALUE 750.
   05 GOOD-SCORE PIC 9(3) VALUE 700.
   05 FAIR-SCORE PIC 9(3) VALUE 650.
   05 MIN-INCOME PIC 9(6) VALUE 30000.
   05 MAX-DEBT-RATIO PIC 9V99 VALUE 0.40.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
EVALUATE-CREDIT.
    IF CREDIT-SCORE GREATER THAN EXCELLENT-SCORE
       AND ANNUAL-INCOME GREATER THAN MIN-INCOME
       AND DEBT-TO-INCOME NOT GREATER THAN MAX-DEBT-RATIO
        MOVE 'APPROVED - PREMIUM' TO APPROVAL-STATUS
    ELSE
        IF CREDIT-SCORE GREATER THAN GOOD-SCORE
           AND ANNUAL-INCOME GREATER THAN MIN-INCOME
            MOVE 'APPROVED - STANDARD' TO APPROVAL-STATUS
        ELSE
            IF CREDIT-SCORE GREATER THAN FAIR-SCORE
                MOVE 'CONDITIONAL APPROVAL' TO APPROVAL-STATUS
            ELSE
                MOVE 'DECLINED' TO APPROVAL-STATUS
            END-IF
        END-IF
    END-IF.

Advanced GREATER Patterns

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IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. ADVANCED-GREATER-PATTERNS.
 
DATA DIVISION.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01  INVENTORY-MANAGEMENT.
    05  CURRENT-STOCK       PIC 9(6).
    05  REORDER-POINT       PIC 9(6).
    05  MAXIMUM-STOCK       PIC 9(6).
    05  SAFETY-STOCK        PIC 9(6).
    05  LEAD-TIME-DAYS      PIC 9(3).
 
01  PERFORMANCE-METRICS.
    05  RESPONSE-TIME       PIC 9(3)V99.
    05  ERROR-RATE          PIC 9V9999.
    05  THROUGHPUT          PIC 9(5).
    05  CPU-UTILIZATION     PIC 9(3)V99.
 
01  FINANCIAL-ANALYSIS.
    05  REVENUE             PIC 9(8)V99.
    05  EXPENSES            PIC 9(8)V99.
    05  PROFIT-MARGIN       PIC 9(3)V99.
    05  ROI-PERCENTAGE      PIC 9(3)V99.
 
01  THRESHOLDS.
    05  MAX-RESPONSE-TIME   PIC 9(3)V99 VALUE 2.50.
    05  MAX-ERROR-RATE      PIC 9V9999 VALUE 0.0100.
    05  MIN-THROUGHPUT      PIC 9(5) VALUE 1000.
    05  MAX-CPU-UTIL        PIC 9(3)V99 VALUE 80.00.
    05  MIN-PROFIT-MARGIN   PIC 9(3)V99 VALUE 15.00.
    05  MIN-ROI             PIC 9(3)V99 VALUE 12.00.
 
01  ALERT-LEVELS.
    05  CRITICAL-ALERT      PIC X(20) VALUE 'CRITICAL'.
    05  WARNING-ALERT       PIC X(20) VALUE 'WARNING'.
    05  INFO-ALERT          PIC X(20) VALUE 'INFORMATION'.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
ADVANCED-MONITORING.
    PERFORM INVENTORY-ANALYSIS
    PERFORM PERFORMANCE-ANALYSIS
    PERFORM FINANCIAL-ANALYSIS
    STOP RUN.
 
INVENTORY-ANALYSIS.
    *> Multi-level inventory checking
    IF CURRENT-STOCK GREATER THAN MAXIMUM-STOCK
        DISPLAY CRITICAL-ALERT ': Overstock condition detected'
        COMPUTE WS-EXCESS = CURRENT-STOCK - MAXIMUM-STOCK
        DISPLAY 'Excess inventory: ' WS-EXCESS ' units'
    ELSE
        IF CURRENT-STOCK GREATER THAN REORDER-POINT
            DISPLAY INFO-ALERT ': Inventory levels normal'
        ELSE
            IF CURRENT-STOCK GREATER THAN SAFETY-STOCK
                DISPLAY WARNING-ALERT ': Approaching reorder point'
                COMPUTE WS-DAYS-SUPPLY = CURRENT-STOCK / 100  *> Assuming daily usage
                DISPLAY 'Days of supply remaining: ' WS-DAYS-SUPPLY
            ELSE
                DISPLAY CRITICAL-ALERT ': Stock below safety level'
                DISPLAY 'Immediate reorder required'
            END-IF
        END-IF
    END-IF.
 
PERFORMANCE-ANALYSIS.
    *> System performance monitoring
    IF RESPONSE-TIME GREATER THAN MAX-RESPONSE-TIME
        DISPLAY CRITICAL-ALERT ': Response time exceeded'
        COMPUTE WS-EXCESS-TIME = RESPONSE-TIME - MAX-RESPONSE-TIME
        DISPLAY 'Excess response time: ' WS-EXCESS-TIME ' seconds'
    END-IF
    
    IF ERROR-RATE GREATER THAN MAX-ERROR-RATE
        DISPLAY CRITICAL-ALERT ': Error rate too high'
        MULTIPLY ERROR-RATE BY 100 GIVING WS-ERROR-PERCENT
        DISPLAY 'Current error rate: ' WS-ERROR-PERCENT '%'
    END-IF
    
    IF THROUGHPUT NOT GREATER THAN MIN-THROUGHPUT
        DISPLAY WARNING-ALERT ': Throughput below minimum'
        COMPUTE WS-SHORTFALL = MIN-THROUGHPUT - THROUGHPUT
        DISPLAY 'Throughput shortfall: ' WS-SHORTFALL ' transactions'
    END-IF
    
    IF CPU-UTILIZATION GREATER THAN MAX-CPU-UTIL
        DISPLAY WARNING-ALERT ': High CPU utilization'
        DISPLAY 'CPU utilization: ' CPU-UTILIZATION '%'
    END-IF.
 
FINANCIAL-ANALYSIS.
    *> Financial performance evaluation
    COMPUTE PROFIT-MARGIN = ((REVENUE - EXPENSES) / REVENUE) * 100
    
    IF PROFIT-MARGIN GREATER THAN MIN-PROFIT-MARGIN
        DISPLAY INFO-ALERT ': Profit margin healthy'
        DISPLAY 'Profit margin: ' PROFIT-MARGIN '%'
    ELSE
        DISPLAY WARNING-ALERT ': Profit margin below target'
        COMPUTE WS-MARGIN-GAP = MIN-PROFIT-MARGIN - PROFIT-MARGIN
        DISPLAY 'Margin gap: ' WS-MARGIN-GAP '%'
    END-IF
    
    *> ROI analysis with multiple thresholds
    IF ROI-PERCENTAGE GREATER THAN 25
        DISPLAY INFO-ALERT ': Excellent ROI performance'
    ELSE
        IF ROI-PERCENTAGE GREATER THAN 18
            DISPLAY INFO-ALERT ': Good ROI performance'
        ELSE
            IF ROI-PERCENTAGE GREATER THAN MIN-ROI
                DISPLAY WARNING-ALERT ': Acceptable ROI'
            ELSE
                DISPLAY CRITICAL-ALERT ': ROI below minimum'
                DISPLAY 'Investment review required'
            END-IF
        END-IF
    END-IF.

Best Practices

Knowledge Check

Test Your Understanding

Question 1: Basic Syntax

What are the different ways to write a GREATER comparison?

Answer: GREATER THAN, GREATER, and > symbol. For example: IF A GREATER THAN B, IF A GREATER B, or IF A > B.

Question 2: Data Types

How does GREATER work with alphanumeric data?

Answer: GREATER compares alphanumeric data using the collating sequence (ASCII or EBCDIC), comparing character by character from left to right to determine alphabetical ordering.

Question 3: Business Logic

When would you use GREATER in business applications?

Answer: For range validation, threshold checking, performance analysis, eligibility determination, commission calculations, and any scenario requiring value comparison for decision making.

Common Patterns

Range Validation
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IF INPUT-VALUE GREATER THAN MIN-VALUE
   AND INPUT-VALUE NOT GREATER THAN MAX-VALUE
    MOVE 'VALID' TO STATUS-FLAG
ELSE
    MOVE 'INVALID' TO STATUS-FLAG
END-IF.
Threshold Checking
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IF PERFORMANCE-METRIC GREATER THAN THRESHOLD
    PERFORM ALERT-MANAGEMENT
    MOVE 'EXCEEDED' TO ALERT-STATUS
ELSE
    MOVE 'NORMAL' TO ALERT-STATUS
END-IF.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

Conditional Logic

IF statements and conditional processing

Comparison Operations

Relational operators and value comparison

Data Validation

Input validation and range checking