IBM Mainframe Forum

Hello, I was being interviewed and in it received a question as:
" suppose if a same copybook is being used by 10 different programs and if I change some parameters of the copybook for one program then will it get impacted on the other set of programs. And if yes then what will be the impact and how can we correct it??"

Since your topic has nothing to do with the forum rules, I moved it to Interview Questions.

I assume you are talking about COBOL copybooks; if not, you will need to specify which language you meant. What do you mean by

if I change some parameters of the copybook

as copybooks in COBOL do not have parameters? Subprograms have parameters. In general, copybooks are source code included into a program at compile time. Hence, ANY change to a copybook will only impact programs using the copybook when the programs are compiled. If the copybook contains a file description that was lengthened or shortened, then every program using that copybook needs an immediate recompile since the programs otherwise have inconsistent attributes for the data set and hence could start getting ABENDS. If the copybook contains a CALL statement to a subprogram and the change added or removed arguments to the subprogram call, again every program using that copybook needs an immediate recompile for the subprogram to be called consistently from all the programs. There are some instances in which the programs using the copybook do not require an immediate recompile -- for example, if there is a FILLER at the end of a group variable and the FILLER length is decreased and a variable of the same length is added just before the FILLER. In this case, only those programs needing the new variable need an immediate recompile; the others can be recompiled whenever it is convenient (there is a small risk that these programs may be using the new variable name, but that risk is much reduced if the site has adequate coding standards in place).

saurabh khare wrote:Hello, I was being interviewed and in it received a question as:
" suppose if a same copybook is being used by 10 different programs and if I change some parameters of the copybook for one program then will it get impacted on the other set of programs. And if yes then what will be the impact and how can we correct it??"

This query was originally posted in the "Forum Rules" section of the forum. It appears saurabh khare didn't bother to actually READ these rules. Further analysis reveals the poster lied through his teeth when he wrote his alleged skills.

I have these recommendations.

• DO NOT lie about skills in job applications, CVs and similar documents. There are simple methods an interviewer can use to check skills. It is obvious the original poster was caught in a relatively simple manner in his interview.
• GET MORE TRAINING.
• When you use a hosted forum like this one, there is usually a list of areas where you can post your problems. Select an area from this list. Look through this list. It is quite possible your problem, or a near variation of the problem is already there.
• Based on what I currently see, the highest IT position you're qualified for is office cleaner.