BabyCobol: DATA DIVISION

Format

Remarks

• unlike the preceding IDENTIFICATION DIVISION, this division is optional and can be skipped if there is no data to declare
• each entry declares a field (an elementary variable) or a record (a composite structure)
• the level numbers show hierarchy: entries with higher level numbers are included in the record defined above them at a lower level number
• each level number is exactly two digits long
• the level numbers can never go below the level number of the first entry (which is traditionally 01, but doesn’t have to be)
• the PICTURE clause defines a field, specifying its format as a representation string, containing the following characters:
  • 9 — any numerical digit
  • A — any alphabetic character or whitespace
  • X — any single character
  • Z — a leading digit, disappearing into space if zero
  • S — a sign, positive or negative, space is treated as a plus
  • V — a decimal separator (usually . or ,)
  • the S and V symbols may occur once in the representation string
• the LIKE clause copies the type from elsewhere, and thus declares either a field (by essentially copying its representation string) or a record (by copying its entire structure)
• if neither the PICTURE nor the LIKE clause are used, such an entry defines a record
• the OCCURS clause turns an individual record or field into an array of them
• LIKE inherits the basic type, not the occurring one
• comment lines and COPY instructions are allowed inside this division as well
• the data division can be followed by the PROCEDURE DIVISION

Origins

BabyCobol is a project by Dr. Vadim Zaytsev a.k.a. @grammarware. Page last updated in October 2023.