COBOL Tutorial

COBOL WORKING-STORAGE SECTION - Quick Reference

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Overview

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION is a section within the DATA DIVISION of a COBOL program that defines temporary variables and data items used during program execution. It provides a place to declare variables, constants, and data structures that are needed throughout the program but are not part of file records.

Key Features

Temporary variables - Define variables used during program execution
Program-level scope - Variables accessible throughout the program
Multiple data types - Support for numeric, alphanumeric, and group variables
Initialization - Variables can be initialized with default values

Syntax and Usage

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION syntax and usage patterns for different data definition scenarios.

Basic WORKING-STORAGE SECTION

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. WORKING-STORAGE-EXAMPLE.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  COUNTER         PIC 9(3) VALUE 0.
       01  TOTAL-AMOUNT    PIC 9(8)V99 VALUE 0.00.
       01  CUSTOMER-NAME   PIC X(30) VALUE SPACES.
       01  PROCESSING-FLAG PIC X VALUE "N".
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           DISPLAY "Counter: " COUNTER
           DISPLAY "Total Amount: " TOTAL-AMOUNT
           DISPLAY "Customer Name: " CUSTOMER-NAME
           DISPLAY "Processing Flag: " PROCESSING-FLAG
           STOP RUN.

Basic WORKING-STORAGE SECTION with various data types and initialization.

WORKING-STORAGE with Group Items

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. WORKING-STORAGE-GROUP.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  CUSTOMER-RECORD.
           05  CUSTOMER-ID     PIC 9(6) VALUE 0.
           05  CUSTOMER-NAME   PIC X(30) VALUE SPACES.
           05  CUSTOMER-STATUS PIC X(1) VALUE "A".
           05  CUSTOMER-BALANCE PIC 9(8)V99 VALUE 0.00.
       
       01  PROCESSING-STATS.
           05  RECORDS-PROCESSED PIC 9(6) VALUE 0.
           05  RECORDS-ERROR    PIC 9(6) VALUE 0.
           05  TOTAL-AMOUNT     PIC 9(10)V99 VALUE 0.00.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           DISPLAY "Customer ID: " CUSTOMER-ID
           DISPLAY "Customer Name: " CUSTOMER-NAME
           DISPLAY "Records Processed: " RECORDS-PROCESSED
           STOP RUN.

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION with group items for structured data organization.

WORKING-STORAGE with Arrays

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       IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
       PROGRAM-ID. WORKING-STORAGE-ARRAY.
       DATA DIVISION.
       WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
       01  MONTHLY-TOTALS.
           05  MONTH-AMOUNT PIC 9(8)V99 OCCURS 12 TIMES.
       
       01  PROCESSING-ARRAYS.
           05  TEMP-VALUES  PIC 9(3) OCCURS 10 TIMES VALUE 0.
           05  STATUS-FLAGS PIC X OCCURS 5 TIMES VALUE "N".
       
       01  COUNTERS.
           05  ARRAY-INDEX  PIC 9(2) VALUE 1.
           05  LOOP-COUNT   PIC 9(3) VALUE 0.
       
       PROCEDURE DIVISION.
           PERFORM VARYING ARRAY-INDEX FROM 1 TO 10
               MOVE ARRAY-INDEX TO TEMP-VALUES(ARRAY-INDEX)
           END-PERFORM
           
           DISPLAY "Array processing completed"
           STOP RUN.

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION with arrays and tables using OCCURS clause.

Data Types

Numeric Variables

Integer and decimal numeric data items.

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01  COUNTER     PIC 9(3) VALUE 0.
01  AMOUNT      PIC 9(8)V99 VALUE 0.00.
01  PERCENTAGE  PIC 9(3)V99 VALUE 0.00.

Alphanumeric Variables

Text and character data items.

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01  NAME        PIC X(30) VALUE SPACES.
01  DESCRIPTION PIC X(100) VALUE SPACES.
01  CODE        PIC X(5) VALUE "00000".

Group Variables

Structured data items with multiple fields.

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01  RECORD-ITEM.
    05  ID        PIC 9(6) VALUE 0.
    05  NAME      PIC X(30) VALUE SPACES.
    05  STATUS    PIC X(1) VALUE "A".

Array Variables

Tables and arrays using OCCURS clause.

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01  ARRAY-DATA.
    05  ELEMENT   PIC 9(3) OCCURS 10 TIMES.
01  TABLE-DATA.
    05  ROW       PIC X(20) OCCURS 5 TIMES.

Best Practices

Initialize variables - Always initialize WORKING-STORAGE variables with appropriate default values
Use meaningful names - Choose descriptive names for variables that clearly indicate their purpose
Group related data - Organize related variables into group items for better structure
Document variables - Add comments explaining the purpose of complex variables
Consider memory usage - Be mindful of memory allocation for large arrays or complex structures

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION Quick Reference

Data Type	Syntax	Use Case
Numeric	PIC 9(n) VALUE number	Counters, amounts, calculations
Alphanumeric	PIC X(n) VALUE "text"	Names, descriptions, codes
Group	01 group-name. 05 field-name	Structured data, records
Array	PIC type OCCURS n TIMES	Tables, lists, collections

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the primary purpose of WORKING-STORAGE SECTION in COBOL?

To define file structures
To define temporary variables and data items used during program execution
To define external data
To define program parameters

2. Where is WORKING-STORAGE SECTION located in a COBOL program?

In the IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
In the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
In the DATA DIVISION
In the PROCEDURE DIVISION

3. What happens to WORKING-STORAGE variables when the program starts?

They are automatically initialized to zero
They contain undefined values unless explicitly initialized
They are automatically initialized to spaces
They are automatically initialized to high values

4. Which of the following can be defined in WORKING-STORAGE SECTION?

Only numeric variables
Only alphanumeric variables
Numeric, alphanumeric, and group variables
Only file descriptions

5. How do you initialize a variable in WORKING-STORAGE SECTION?

Using the INITIALIZE statement
Using the VALUE clause
Both A and B
Using the MOVE statement only

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concepts

Data Division

Understanding the DATA DIVISION structure.

Data Types

COBOL data types and formats.

PICTURE Clause

Define data format and structure.

VALUE Clause

Initialize data items with default values.

OCCURS Clause

Define arrays and tables.

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COBOL Tutorial

COBOL WORKING-STORAGE SECTION - Quick Reference

Overview

Key Features

Syntax and Usage

Basic WORKING-STORAGE SECTION

WORKING-STORAGE with Group Items

WORKING-STORAGE with Arrays

Data Types

Numeric Variables

Alphanumeric Variables

Group Variables

Array Variables

Best Practices

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION Quick Reference

Test Your Knowledge

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between WORKING-STORAGE SECTION and FILE SECTION?

Can WORKING-STORAGE variables be used across different paragraphs?

What is the scope of WORKING-STORAGE variables?

Can WORKING-STORAGE SECTION contain OCCURS clauses?

What is the memory allocation for WORKING-STORAGE variables?

Related Concepts

Data Division

Data Types

PICTURE Clause

VALUE Clause

OCCURS Clause

Related Pages