Appendix B. Intermediate Results and Arithmetic Precision

The compiler handles arithmetic statements as a succession of operations, performed according to operator precedence, and sets up an intermediate field to contain the results of these operations.

Intermediate results are possible in the following cases:
  • In an ADD or SUBTRACT statement containing more than one operand immediately following the verb.
  • In a COMPUTE statement specifying a series of arithmetic operations or multiple result fields.
  • In arithmetic expressions contained in conditional statements and reference modification specifications.
  • In the GIVING option with multiple result fields for the ADD, SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, or DIVIDE statements.
  • In a statement with an intrinsic function used as an operand.

For a discussion on when the compiler uses fixed-point or floating-point arithmetic, refer to the "Working with Data Items" chapter in the IBM® Rational® Development Studio for i: ILE COBOL Programmer's Guide.