Learn BANKING-COBOL-VARIANTS with Real Code Examples
Updated Nov 27, 2025
Learning Path
Week 1: COBOL Syntax & Data Division
Week 2: VSAM + JCL basics
Week 3: CICS online programming
Week 4: DB2 + SQL integration
Week 5: Batch + online hybrid architecture
Skill Improvement Plan
Practice with VSAM datasets
Build CICS transaction flows
Master JCL and utilities
Study banking message standards
Work on legacy system debugging
Interview Questions
Explain the role of COBOL in banking systems.
How does CICS interact with COBOL programs?
What are VSAM KSDS files and why are they used?
Describe how batch jobs are scheduled with JCL.
How do you ensure accuracy in financial calculations?
Cheat Sheet
MOVE … COMP-3 -> packed decimals
READ … NEXT RECORD -> VSAM reading
EXEC CICS SEND/RECEIVE -> online maps
EXEC SQL SELECT … END-EXEC -> DB2 access
JCL: //STEP01 EXEC PGM=program -> batch job
Books
COBOL for the 21st Century
Advanced COBOL for Business
CICS Handbook
DB2 for COBOL Developers
Strategic Modernization of COBOL Systems
Tutorials
IBM Enterprise COBOL Basics
CICS Transaction Programming
VSAM & JCL Practical Training
COBOL + DB2 SQL Integration
Mainframe Banking Batch Design
Official Docs
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cobol-zos
https://www.microfocus.com/en-us/cobol
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/cics-ts
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/db2
Community Links
IBM Developer Forums
Micro Focus COBOL Community
r/Mainframe Reddit
LinkedIn Mainframe Groups
YouTube COBOL Tutorials
Community Support
IBM Developer Community
Micro Focus community forums
Stack Overflow (COBOL tag)
Mainframe Discord and Reddit groups
LinkedIn Mainframe/CICS communities