Rational Developer for System z
Enterprise COBOL for z/OS, Version 4.1, Language Reference


Data attribute specification

Explicit data attributes are data attributes that you specify in 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 USAGE is omitted and the symbol N is not specified in the PICTURE clause, the default is USAGE DISPLAY, which is the implicit data attribute. When PICTURE symbol N is used, USAGE DISPLAY-1 is the default when the NSYMBOL(DBCS) compiler option is in effect; USAGE NATIONAL is the default when the NSYMBOL(NATIONAL) compiler option is in effect. These are implicit data attributes.


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