Concept clarification only - Cobol Db2 program

arien · New User Joined: 02 Nov 2006 Posts: 43 Location: London

Hi,

I am getting back to Db2 environment after a long time. Needed clarifications on few doubts-

a) Can I use DB2 tables in batch programming like I use them in Stored Procedures ? What is the difference between the two?

b) I'm using changeman for release and version control within my application. I added my Cobol-DB2 program as a SRA component, when do I need to add the DBB component ? And do I always need to add the PKG component as well? Currently, while in DEV, I am using precompiler 'YES' option to pre-compile & compile my program and it is becomming active in my package.

Hope I'm making sense, please ask me questions in case anything is not clear above. It'll help me in fact.

Thanks

ovreddy · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:25 am

Hi Arien,

Here are the answers for your queries
a) Can I use DB2 tables in batch programming like I use them in Stored Procedures ? What is the difference between the two?

Yes you can use DB2 tables in batch programs. Batch programs written in host language like COBOL are independent programs and are not stored as part of Database. Batch programs makes calls to DB2 to retrieve or update information. A predefined access path is generated while compiling and binding a batch program.

DB2 Stored Procedures are stored as part of Database. Application program calling DB2 Stored Procedure will make only one call and whole Stored Procedure will execute on the DB2 Server. This way we can prevent multiple calls to DB2 which causes network traffic and multiple authentication check.

b) I am not a Changeman user. I donno about it. But while writing a COBOL DB2 program you should precompile--> Compile ---> BIND program. PKG option looks like a package which will have actual DB2 calls.

Thanks,
Reddy

arien · New User Joined: 02 Nov 2006 Posts: 43 Location: London

Thanks Reddy, my primary purpose is to unload a table into pipe-delimited flat file and apply some formatting to it which retrieving each row, hence I thought of writing it in a batch.

Another reason, which if you can confirm is, that SPs are called from Front end (like Java interface etc) and batch processing happens on Mainframes/DB2. Is that so ?

Considering my program purpose, could I code it as a SP as well ?

ovreddy · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:44 am

You are correct SPs are called from Front end as well as backend too (like Java interface etc) and batch processing happens on Mainframes/DB2.

If you want to deal with a flat file and DB2 I suggest Batch program only. Because SP cannot access flat files on mainframe.

Thanks,
Reddy

GuyC · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 3:13 pm

Anuj Dhawan · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 3:15 pm

dick scherrer · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:30 pm

Hi Anuj,

Anuj Dhawan · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 7:53 pm

Thanks Dick.

I was skeptical about the origin of the question, which I quote in my last post. When I last worked on DB2 SPs, there were folks from "Front-end" team, who used to "call the SP" from their JAVA-modules. And they never understood how COBOL and DB2 work with each-other. But if the OP has worked with COBOL and DB2 in creating the SPs - programming is pretty-similar.

arien · New User Joined: 02 Nov 2006 Posts: 43 Location: London

Thank you all, I'm happy to be back on Db2 :-)

dick scherrer · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 9:10 pm

Good luck

Someone will be here when there are questions,

d