COBOL Tutorial

COBOL NATIVE_BINARY Data Type - Quick Reference

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Overview

The NATIVE_BINARY data type is used in COBOL for handling native binary data representation that matches the underlying hardware architecture. It is essential for system-level programming, interfacing with other languages, and ensuring precise binary data compatibility.

Purpose and Usage

Native representation - Match hardware binary format exactly
System interfacing - Interface with system APIs and libraries
Language interoperability - Work with C/C++ and other languages
Performance optimization - Eliminate data conversion overhead
Platform compatibility - Ensure correct data representation

Native Binary Concept

Hardware Architecture: x86, ARM, PowerPC, etc.

Native Binary Format: Matches hardware exactly

Data Representation: No conversion needed

System APIs: Direct compatibility

External Libraries: Seamless integration

NATIVE_BINARY ensures data matches the underlying hardware representation.

Syntax and Usage

NATIVE_BINARY fields are declared using the COMP clause with NATIVE_BINARY to ensure native hardware binary representation.

Basic Syntax

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* Basic NATIVE_BINARY syntax
level-number data-name PIC 9(length) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
 
* Examples
01  NATIVE-INTEGER      PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
01  NATIVE-SHORT        PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
01  NATIVE-LONG         PIC 9(10) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
01  NATIVE-FLOAT        PIC 9(6)V99 COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
 
* Complete example
01  NATIVE-DATA-STRUCTURE.
    05  NATIVE-ID        PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
    05  NATIVE-COUNT     PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
    05  NATIVE-VALUE     PIC 9(8)V99 COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
    05  NATIVE-FLAG      PIC 9(1) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
    05  NATIVE-TIMESTAMP PIC 9(10) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.

NATIVE_BINARY uses COMP with NATIVE_BINARY for native hardware representation.

Complete Example

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* Complete example using NATIVE_BINARY
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. NATIVE-BINARY-DEMO.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  NATIVE-STRUCTURE.
           05  NATIVE-INT-VALUE    PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 12345.
           05  NATIVE-SHORT-VALUE  PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 100.
           05  NATIVE-FLOAT-VALUE  PIC 9(6)V99 COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 123.45.
           05  NATIVE-FLAG-VALUE   PIC 9(1) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 1.
       
       01  STANDARD-STRUCTURE.
           05  STANDARD-INT-VALUE  PIC 9(9) COMP VALUE 12345.
           05  STANDARD-SHORT-VALUE PIC 9(4) COMP VALUE 100.
           05  STANDARD-FLOAT-VALUE PIC 9(6)V99 COMP VALUE 123.45.
           05  STANDARD-FLAG-VALUE  PIC 9(1) COMP VALUE 1.
       
       01  COMPARISON-RESULTS.
           05  NATIVE-SIZE         PIC 9(4) COMP.
           05  STANDARD-SIZE       PIC 9(4) COMP.
           05  SIZE-DIFFERENCE     PIC 9(4) COMP.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Display native binary values
           DISPLAY "Native Binary Values:"
           DISPLAY "Integer: " NATIVE-INT-VALUE
           DISPLAY "Short: " NATIVE-SHORT-VALUE
           DISPLAY "Float: " NATIVE-FLOAT-VALUE
           DISPLAY "Flag: " NATIVE-FLAG-VALUE
           
           * Compare with standard values
           DISPLAY "Standard Values:"
           DISPLAY "Integer: " STANDARD-INT-VALUE
           DISPLAY "Short: " STANDARD-SHORT-VALUE
           DISPLAY "Float: " STANDARD-FLOAT-VALUE
           DISPLAY "Flag: " STANDARD-FLAG-VALUE
           
           * Perform arithmetic operations
           PERFORM ARITHMETIC-OPERATIONS
           
           STOP RUN.
       
       ARITHMETIC-OPERATIONS.
           * Add values
           ADD NATIVE-SHORT-VALUE TO NATIVE-INT-VALUE
           DISPLAY "After addition: " NATIVE-INT-VALUE
           
           * Multiply values
           MULTIPLY NATIVE-FLOAT-VALUE BY NATIVE-INT-VALUE
           DISPLAY "After multiplication: " NATIVE-INT-VALUE.

This example shows how to use NATIVE_BINARY for native hardware representation.

System API Interface

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* System API interface using NATIVE_BINARY
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. SYSTEM-API-INTERFACE.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  API-PARAMETERS.
           05  API-FUNCTION-ID    PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 1001.
           05  API-BUFFER-SIZE    PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 1024.
           05  API-RETURN-CODE    PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  API-ERROR-CODE     PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
       
       01  API-BUFFER.
           05  BUFFER-DATA        PIC X(1024).
       
       01  SYSTEM-CALL-PARAMS.
           05  CALL-FUNCTION      PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  CALL-PARAM1        PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  CALL-PARAM2        PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  CALL-RETURN        PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Set up API call parameters
           MOVE API-FUNCTION-ID TO CALL-FUNCTION
           MOVE API-BUFFER-SIZE TO CALL-PARAM1
           MOVE 0 TO CALL-PARAM2
           
           * Call system API
           CALL "SYSTEM_API" USING SYSTEM-CALL-PARAMS
           
           * Check return code
           MOVE CALL-RETURN TO API-RETURN-CODE
           IF API-RETURN-CODE NOT = 0
               MOVE CALL-RETURN TO API-ERROR-CODE
               DISPLAY "API Error: " API-ERROR-CODE
           ELSE
               DISPLAY "API call successful"
           END-IF
           
           STOP RUN.

NATIVE_BINARY ensures compatibility with system APIs and external libraries.

Common Use Cases

NATIVE_BINARY is essential in various scenarios where native hardware representation and system-level programming are required.

C/C++ Interfacing

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* C/C++ interfacing with NATIVE_BINARY
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. C-INTERFACE-DEMO.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  C-STRUCTURE.
           05  C-INT-VALUE       PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  C-SHORT-VALUE     PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  C-FLOAT-VALUE     PIC 9(6)V99 COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  C-CHAR-ARRAY      PIC X(50).
           05  C-POINTER-VALUE   PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
       
       01  C-FUNCTION-PARAMS.
           05  FUNC-PARAM1       PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  FUNC-PARAM2       PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  FUNC-RETURN       PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
       
       01  C-STRING-BUFFER      PIC X(100).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Initialize C structure
           MOVE 12345 TO C-INT-VALUE
           MOVE 100 TO C-SHORT-VALUE
           MOVE 123.45 TO C-FLOAT-VALUE
           MOVE "Hello from COBOL" TO C-CHAR-ARRAY
           MOVE 0 TO C-POINTER-VALUE
           
           * Call C function
           MOVE C-INT-VALUE TO FUNC-PARAM1
           MOVE C-SHORT-VALUE TO FUNC-PARAM2
           
           CALL "C_FUNCTION" USING C-STRUCTURE, FUNC-RETURN
           
           * Process return value
           IF FUNC-RETURN = 0
               DISPLAY "C function call successful"
           ELSE
               DISPLAY "C function call failed"
           END-IF
           
           STOP RUN.

NATIVE_BINARY ensures proper data alignment with C/C++ structures.

System Programming

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* System programming with NATIVE_BINARY
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. SYSTEM-PROGRAMMING.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  SYSTEM-INFO.
           05  PROCESS-ID        PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  THREAD-ID         PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  MEMORY-ADDRESS    PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  SYSTEM-TIME       PIC 9(10) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  USER-ID           PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
       
       01  SYSTEM-CALL-STRUCTURE.
           05  SYS-CALL-NUMBER   PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  SYS-CALL-PARAM1   PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  SYS-CALL-PARAM2   PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  SYS-CALL-PARAM3   PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  SYS-CALL-RETURN   PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
       
       01  MEMORY-BUFFER.
           05  BUFFER-SIZE       PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 4096.
           05  BUFFER-DATA       PIC X(4096).
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Get system information
           PERFORM GET-SYSTEM-INFO
           
           * Allocate memory
           PERFORM ALLOCATE-MEMORY
           
           * Perform system operations
           PERFORM SYSTEM-OPERATIONS
           
           STOP RUN.
       
       GET-SYSTEM-INFO.
           * Get process ID
           MOVE 20 TO SYS-CALL-NUMBER
           CALL "SYSCALL" USING SYSTEM-CALL-STRUCTURE
           MOVE SYS-CALL-RETURN TO PROCESS-ID
           
           * Get system time
           MOVE 13 TO SYS-CALL-NUMBER
           CALL "SYSCALL" USING SYSTEM-CALL-STRUCTURE
           MOVE SYS-CALL-RETURN TO SYSTEM-TIME.
       
       ALLOCATE-MEMORY.
           * Allocate memory buffer
           MOVE 9 TO SYS-CALL-NUMBER
           MOVE 0 TO SYS-CALL-PARAM1
           MOVE BUFFER-SIZE TO SYS-CALL-PARAM2
           MOVE 3 TO SYS-CALL-PARAM3
           CALL "SYSCALL" USING SYSTEM-CALL-STRUCTURE
           MOVE SYS-CALL-RETURN TO MEMORY-ADDRESS.
       
       SYSTEM-OPERATIONS.
           * Perform system operations here
           DISPLAY "System operations completed".

System programming requires NATIVE_BINARY for hardware-level operations.

Performance Optimization

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* Performance optimization with NATIVE_BINARY
       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. PERFORMANCE-OPTIMIZATION.
       
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  OPTIMIZED-DATA.
           05  COUNTER           PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 0.
           05  ARRAY-SIZE        PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 1000.
           05  LOOP-COUNT        PIC 9(6) COMP NATIVE_BINARY VALUE 100000.
           05  START-TIME        PIC 9(10) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  END-TIME          PIC 9(10) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
           05  ELAPSED-TIME      PIC 9(10) COMP NATIVE_BINARY.
       
       01  DATA-ARRAY.
           05  ARRAY-ELEMENT     PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY OCCURS 1000 TIMES.
       
       01  STANDARD-DATA.
           05  STD-COUNTER       PIC 9(9) COMP VALUE 0.
           05  STD-ARRAY-SIZE    PIC 9(4) COMP VALUE 1000.
           05  STD-LOOP-COUNT    PIC 9(6) COMP VALUE 100000.
       
       01  STD-ARRAY.
           05  STD-ELEMENT       PIC 9(4) COMP OCCURS 1000 TIMES.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
       MAIN-LOGIC.
           * Performance test with NATIVE_BINARY
           PERFORM NATIVE-BINARY-TEST
           
           * Performance test with standard COMP
           PERFORM STANDARD-COMP-TEST
           
           STOP RUN.
       
       NATIVE-BINARY-TEST.
           * Get start time
           MOVE FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE TO START-TIME
           
           * Perform intensive operations
           PERFORM VARYING COUNTER FROM 1 BY 1 
               UNTIL COUNTER > LOOP-COUNT
               PERFORM PROCESS-NATIVE-ARRAY
           END-PERFORM
           
           * Get end time
           MOVE FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE TO END-TIME
           COMPUTE ELAPSED-TIME = END-TIME - START-TIME
           DISPLAY "Native Binary Time: " ELAPSED-TIME.
       
       STANDARD-COMP-TEST.
           * Get start time
           MOVE FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE TO START-TIME
           
           * Perform intensive operations
           PERFORM VARYING STD-COUNTER FROM 1 BY 1 
               UNTIL STD-COUNTER > STD-LOOP-COUNT
               PERFORM PROCESS-STANDARD-ARRAY
           END-PERFORM
           
           * Get end time
           MOVE FUNCTION CURRENT-DATE TO END-TIME
           COMPUTE ELAPSED-TIME = END-TIME - START-TIME
           DISPLAY "Standard COMP Time: " ELAPSED-TIME.
       
       PROCESS-NATIVE-ARRAY.
           * Process native binary array
           MOVE COUNTER TO ARRAY-ELEMENT(1).
       
       PROCESS-STANDARD-ARRAY.
           * Process standard array
           MOVE STD-COUNTER TO STD-ELEMENT(1).

Performance optimization uses NATIVE_BINARY to eliminate conversion overhead.

Best Practices and Tips

Following these best practices ensures effective use of NATIVE_BINARY in COBOL applications.

NATIVE_BINARY Best Practices

Use for system interfaces - Use NATIVE_BINARY when interfacing with system APIs
Match external structures - Ensure alignment with external data structures
Consider platform differences - Be aware of different hardware architectures
Document data layout - Document the binary layout for maintenance
Test on target platforms - Test on all target hardware platforms
Handle endianness - Consider byte order for cross-platform compatibility

Platform Compatibility

Platform	Considerations	Data Size
x86 (32-bit)	Little-endian, 4-byte alignment	int: 4 bytes, long: 4 bytes
x86-64 (64-bit)	Little-endian, 8-byte alignment	int: 4 bytes, long: 8 bytes
ARM (32-bit)	Little-endian, 4-byte alignment	int: 4 bytes, long: 4 bytes
ARM (64-bit)	Little-endian, 8-byte alignment	int: 4 bytes, long: 8 bytes
PowerPC	Big-endian, 4-byte alignment	int: 4 bytes, long: 4 bytes

Performance Considerations

No conversion overhead - Eliminates data conversion costs
Direct memory access - Enables direct memory manipulation
System call efficiency - Optimizes system API calls
External interface speed - Faster interfacing with other languages
Memory alignment - Ensures proper memory alignment
Cache efficiency - Better cache utilization

When to Use NATIVE_BINARY

Use Case	NATIVE_BINARY Suitability	Reasoning
System APIs	Excellent	Required for system compatibility
C/C++ interfacing	Excellent	Ensures data structure alignment
Performance critical	Good	Eliminates conversion overhead
Business logic	Poor	Use standard COBOL types
Display data	Poor	Use display-oriented types

NATIVE_BINARY Quick Reference

Usage	Syntax	Example
Integer	01 data-name PIC 9(n) COMP NATIVE_BINARY	01 INT-VAL PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY
Short integer	01 data-name PIC 9(n) COMP NATIVE_BINARY	01 SHORT-VAL PIC 9(4) COMP NATIVE_BINARY
Long integer	01 data-name PIC 9(n) COMP NATIVE_BINARY	01 LONG-VAL PIC 9(10) COMP NATIVE_BINARY
Float	01 data-name PIC 9(n)V99 COMP NATIVE_BINARY	01 FLOAT-VAL PIC 9(6)V99 COMP NATIVE_BINARY
Pointer	01 data-name PIC 9(n) COMP NATIVE_BINARY	01 PTR-VAL PIC 9(9) COMP NATIVE_BINARY

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the primary purpose of the NATIVE_BINARY data type in COBOL?

To perform arithmetic operations
To handle native binary data representation for system-level programming
To control file operations
To manage character data

2. How does NATIVE_BINARY differ from standard COMP data types?

They are exactly the same
NATIVE_BINARY uses native hardware representation while COMP uses COBOL-specific format
NATIVE_BINARY is for character data only
COMP is for binary data only

3. When would you use NATIVE_BINARY in COBOL applications?

For simple text processing
For system-level programming and interfacing with other languages
For file I/O operations only
For mathematical calculations only

4. Which of the following is a common use case for NATIVE_BINARY?

Display text to users
Interfacing with system APIs and external libraries
File sorting operations
Data validation

5. How do you declare a NATIVE_BINARY field in COBOL?

Using PIC 9 with NATIVE_BINARY
Using COMP with NATIVE_BINARY
Using PIC X with NATIVE_BINARY
Using PIC N with NATIVE_BINARY

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL NATIVE_BINARY Data Type - Quick Reference

Overview

Purpose and Usage

Native Binary Concept

Syntax and Usage

Basic Syntax

Complete Example

System API Interface

Common Use Cases

C/C++ Interfacing

System Programming

Performance Optimization

Best Practices and Tips

NATIVE_BINARY Best Practices

Platform Compatibility

Performance Considerations

When to Use NATIVE_BINARY

NATIVE_BINARY Quick Reference

Test Your Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

COMP Data Types

STANDARD-BINARY

System Programming

Data Types

Language Interfacing

Related Pages

COBOL Tutorial

COBOL NATIVE_BINARY Data Type - Quick Reference

Overview

Purpose and Usage

Native Binary Concept

Syntax and Usage

Basic Syntax

Complete Example

System API Interface

Common Use Cases

C/C++ Interfacing

System Programming

Performance Optimization

Best Practices and Tips

NATIVE_BINARY Best Practices

Platform Compatibility

Performance Considerations

When to Use NATIVE_BINARY

NATIVE_BINARY Quick Reference

Test Your Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between NATIVE_BINARY and STANDARD-BINARY in COBOL?

How do you use NATIVE_BINARY for interfacing with C/C++ programs?

Can you perform arithmetic operations on NATIVE_BINARY fields?

How does NATIVE_BINARY handle different hardware architectures?

What are the performance implications of using NATIVE_BINARY?

Related Concepts

COMP Data Types

STANDARD-BINARY

System Programming

Data Types

Language Interfacing

Related Pages