The Translator requires a syntactically correct COBOL file description for input. While scanning the COBOL file description, the Translator performs a number of syntax checks. If any of the COBOL statements are invalid, the Translator produces debugging messages, the program stops executing, and a Master File is not generated. Although the syntax check can identify a variety of errors, you should specify only valid COBOL file descriptions that compile successfully.
At a minimum, a valid COBOL file description must have these attributes:
Level-numbers must be a one- or two-digit integer. Values can be 1 through 49, 66, 77, or 88.
Level-numbers 01 and 77 must begin in Columns 8 through 11; all other level-numbers may begin in Columns 8 through 72.
Comment lines are identified with an asterisk (*) in Column 7.
Continuation lines are identified with a hyphen (-) in Column 7.
The COBOL file description starts with a level-number 01 column and ends with the last column described.
The COBOL fieldnames are in upper case characters.
Other COBOL instructions are not permitted as input.
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