Mainframe, MVS and zOS Discussion

Hi,

I am very new to the mainframes and find this confusing. Is there any difference between the table in Cobol and db2? If they are different is there a significance of using the same name for both? Thanks for you help.

They are very different.

They use the same name because one comes from nomenclature in the development of the COBOL language in 1959 and one comes from the nomenclature of the development of the idea of the relational database model in the years up to 1970.

It is unfortunate, but there it is. Just treat the words entirely separately in their own contexts.

A table in COBOL is the equivalent of an array in other languages - however, use 'table' and not 'array' when speaking about COBOL.

William Collins wrote:They are very different.

They use the same name because one comes from nomenclature in the development of the COBOL language in 1959 and one comes from the nomenclature of the development of the idea of the relational database model in the years up to 1970.

It is unfortunate, but there it is. Just treat the words entirely separately in their own contexts.

Thanks William. Yes, it can be due to nomenclature, I did not think in that direction. Appreciate your reply.

nicc wrote:A table in COBOL is the equivalent of an array in other languages - however, use 'table' and not 'array' when speaking about COBOL.

Yes, that's what I was confused as in language C we learned about arrays only. But this is a good point. I shall remember it, it will make more professional.