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COBOL
COBOL109
3
Creating Reports
One of COBOL's greatest strengths is producing clear business reports from large collections of records.
Why is report generation important in COBOL?
Business systems often process thousands of records and produce reports that people use to make financial and operational decisions.
Business programs rarely process data only for themselves.
Managers usually want summaries.
Accountants want totals.
Customers want statements.
COBOL was designed to create accurate reports from business data.
Printing a simple report line
DISPLAY "CUSTOMER REPORT".
DISPLAY CUSTOMER-NAME.
DISPLAY ACCOUNT-BALANCE.
The first DISPLAY prints a heading.
The second DISPLAY prints customer information.
The third DISPLAY prints the balance.
Real reports repeat this process for many records.
Totals are often printed at the end.
Business
Businesses rely on reports every day.
Accuracy
Reports must match the stored data.
Communication
Reports turn raw data into useful information.
History
Report generation made COBOL famous in business computing.
Printing without headings
DISPLAY CUSTOMER-NAME.
DISPLAY ACCOUNT-BALANCE.
Clear report layout
DISPLAY "CUSTOMER REPORT".
DISPLAY CUSTOMER-NAME.
DISPLAY ACCOUNT-BALANCE.
Ask ChatGPT: "Explain how this COBOL program could grow into a complete business report."
Create a report heading.
Display a customer name.
Display an account balance.
Describe a report footer.
Explain why reports matter in business.
Printing data with no headings.
Mixing unrelated information.
Ignoring totals.
Making reports difficult to read.
Assuming reports are only for programmers.
Explain why COBOL programs produce business reports and how simple report output works.
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