COBOL :

1. SOC7 cause and how to rectify. How to you force a program to create SOC7. (Also
SOC4, SOC1)
2. SB37, SD37, SE37 abend cause, and resolution.
3. How data is passed from a module to another (Call by value or call by reference)
4. What is array subscript and index?
5. COBOL reference modification
6. Static call VS Dynamic call? How will you identify just by looking at the program?
7. Subscript VS INDEX -- which is better? Why it is better?
8. PERFORM types
9. String, Unstring, Inspect ?
10. Search VS Search all?
11. What is Binary search? What is the default ordering of Binary search --
ASC.
12. What are the ways you can pass values to other programs?
13. What are the ways you can get vales to a program?
14. What is the use of REPLACING clause in COBOL program against
copybooks?
15. File organizations and access modes for VSAM files
16. Different file open MODES and their purpose? - INPUT, OUTPUT, I-O,
EXTEND.
17. Evaluate and If end-if - some situation and answers
18. How will you build an internal array in COBOL program --- OCCURS
clause
19. How will you create a dynamic internal table? --- using DEPENDING ON
clause.
20. Do we need to declare the depending on clause variable in WS? -- NO
21. If a COBBAT program is calling COBBATDB program, how many plans would
be there?
22. What does BLOCK SIZE IS ZERO means while defining the file in COBOL
program?
23. How will you get the system date in COBOL program? How will you get the
date of 10 days after today in COBOL (not using DB2)?
24. Questions on Redefine like can WS-A X(100) can be redefined by WS-B
X(200) Vice versa?
25. What is COMP and COMP3? How much space will 9(4) COMP occupy?

DB2 :
1. Catalog tables? Portioned tables?
The catalog tables describe such things as table spaces, tables, columns, indexes, privileges,
application plans, and packages. Authorized users can query the catalog; however, it is
primarily intended for use by DB2 and is therefore subject to change. All catalog tables are
qualified by SYSIBM. Do not use this qualifier for user-defined tables.
 Table partitioning (sometimes referred to as range partitioning) is a data organization scheme
in which table data is divided across multiple storage objects, called data partitions
2. PLAN_TABLE - what are the values you will look in the table for optimization?
A PLAN_TABLE instance can have a format with fewer columns than those shown in the sample
CREATE TABLE statement.
3. DEAD-LOCK?
Certain transactions executing at the same time can lock each other out of data that they need
to complete their logical units of recovery. Since neither can complete its work and commit,
neither can release its locks. Nevertheless, each waits for the other in a situation
4. What are cluster and index?

5. DB2 utilities
REORG: REORG will reorganize the records as per the
clustered Index/index fields, so that the system can access
records easily thru which the access cost will come down drastically, so
it’s always advisable to run REORG after every mass inserts/ updates/
deletes on table.

Whenever a record is deleted, it marks the record to be deleted but the

physically it is not deleted in db. So using reorg command is ran, it
physically deletes the record from db.
RUNSTAT:
The RUNSTATS online utility gathers summary information about the
characteristics of data in table spaces, indexes, and partitions. DB2
records these statistics in the DB2 catalog and uses them to select
access paths to data during the bind process.
6. SYSIBM tables? These are catalogue tables which are used to retrieve tables or
columns in it.
7. DB2 Load and unload utilities.
8. Bind options?
9. What is executable PLAN or Package?
10. SQL codes: 903, 811, 530,805.
11. SQL codes -501 to -504, -904, -911, -803, -180, -181, -305, -205, -922 etc
12. Why do we use cursor and types of isolation levels and their usage - CS, RR, UR,RS
13. What is 305? NULL indicator not handled properly.
14. What are the ways to handle NULL indicator?
15. What is the difference between GROUP BY and ORDER BY?
16. COMMIT and ROLLBACK --- how will you secure opened cursor from COMMIT? Will
ROLLBACK close all the opened cursor?
17. How can you get the number of rows impacted by the last executed query? -
SQLERRD (3)
18. DB2, about index, how to increase performance of a program. Does using Index on a
small table be useful or not
 19. Null indicator - how will you handle it? What are the possible values returned to null-
indicator-var? -2, -1, 0
20. About Explain? How will you determine cost of a query? Where it will be available?
21. About COBBATDB program compilation process.
22. Explain DB2 program compilation process. (Like how DBRM is created, BIND, Plan,
Package ..etc.)
23. Explain CICS-DB2 program compilation process
24. Later I was asked to write few queries by given few sample tables -- which involved
JOINS, SUM (*), Group by etc.,
25. Explain a simple program which involves DB2 like how will you declare cursor, fetch,
close etc.
26. How will you copy a entire table in one region to another table which is having two more
additional columns?
27. If a program is running for a long time which ran very minimal time yesterday, what are
all could be the reason?
28. I know my query will return more than one row but I don't want cursor what should I
do? -- provide FETCH FIRST ROW ONLY
29. There is a student table where a student can have more subjects and marks secured in
that subject. Now want the complete details of student who appeared for more than 3
subjects.
30. I am compiling my DB2 with CS will it lock the table though I use simple select on a
table?

JCL :
1. VSAM utility - IDCAMS
2. Diff between Repro and SORT-copy?
3. What are the parameters used while creating GDG, KSDS, RRDS, ESDS
4. GDG - questions like - file created in step one and how it will be referred in next step.
This job abends after step1, then what are the changes need to be done while re-
running/ changes needed?
5. Understandings on JCLLIB, JOBLIB and STEPLIB
6. How will you check a file is empty and stop processing the next steps.
7. What is COND=EVEN, COND=ONLY
8. How many DD statement in a step?
9. How many steps in a PROC?
10. About JES3, JES2
11. How to set condition code manually in JCL
12. COMPILER options (like SSRANGE, NOSSRANGE
13. How to overwrite a DSN in PROC from a JCL
14. JCL Step conditions and how to prevent a step from running using condition code
15. Basic Sort questions (Like how to process first 100 records alone in sort, how to
skip first 100 records ..etc.)
16. PD to ZD conversion in SORT ??
 INCLUDE COND=(1,5,PD,TO=ZD,LENGTH=9)
/* ---- PD to ZD conversion --- ZD Length = 2*PD - 1
CICS
What is DFHCOMMAREA
What is the return code when a file open error occurs in CICS
what are the CICS abends that you are aware of?
How will you pass values to the other programs? Via Linkage section, MQ, Files, TDQ, TSQ,
Channels & Containers
Why we should use TSQ, we can use TDQ instead right?

DB2 Pre-compilation:

 DSNHPC1$ utility will separate Cobol and SQL statements as Modified source code(MSC)
and Database Request Module(DBRM)
 To compile MSC we use IGYCRCTL utility. Then Linkedit will be done using IEWL utility.
We get executable Load module
 We use IKJEFT01 utility to convert DBRM to a executable DB2 BIND PLAN
 To run the Job we use
Step(RUNJCL) - IKJEFT01
PLAN NAME
LOAD MODULE DETAILS