[Info-vax] COBOL Is Obsolete (was Re: Any stronger versions of the LMF planned ?)

[Scott Dorsey]

=?UTF-8?Q?Lawrence_D=E2=80=99Oliveiro?=  <lawrencedo99 at gmail.com> wrote:
>On Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 12:14:00 AM UTC+12, Scott Dorsey wrote:
>> COBOL isn't a programming language. COBOL is a data description language
>> that has some programming features on the side. If you look at a well-wri=
>tten=20
>> typical COBOL program, the procedure division is a very small part of the=
> total=20
>> length.=20
>
>The specific question being considered here is interfacing from COBOL to SQ=
>L. COBOL was born back in the era of ISAM files, and never really adapted t=
>o the widespread adoption of SQL and relational databases. This in spite of=
> the fact that COBOL was supposed to be a =E2=80=9Cbusiness-oriented=E2=80=
>=9D language, and SQL has become rather essential to just about every kind =
>of =E2=80=9Cbusiness=E2=80=9D need since the 1980s.

In the IBM/360 world, SQL code can be embedded within COBOL programs using
EXEC-SQL.  There's no "interface" per se, they are all mixed up together.

If VMS does not allow this, it's a thing that should probably be added
because IBM has had it for many decades and it's very convenient.

>And yes, SQL is very much a =E2=80=9Cprogramming language=E2=80=9D, whether=
> or not you think COBOL is one.

Yes, although it's certainly not a general purpose one.
--scott
-- 
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."