ILE COBOL Language Reference

Data Attribute Specification

Explicit data attributes are those you specify in actual COBOL coding.

Implicit data attributes are default values. If you do not explicitly code a data attribute, the compiler assumes a default value.

For example, you need not specify the USAGE of a data item. If it is omitted, the default is USAGE DISPLAY, which is the implicit data attribute. If, however, you specify USAGE DISPLAY in COBOL coding, it becomes an explicit data attribute.


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