Need COBOL Compiler Selection Help 2

[jfilben]

I purchased a book, “SAMS Teach Yourself COBOL in 24 Hours”, a number of years ago. I am need of any recommendation on a good/free COBOL compiler and/or IDE for the requirements below. I still have the original CD with Fujitsu COBOL V3 Starter Set but was thinking that there had to be something else more powerful available.

As background, I used to use SAS for data processing and manipulation but that solution is beyond my budget at this point (as I am now self-employed).

The requirements I was looking for are as follows:
• Operate in a Window 7 environment
• Process up to a million records
• Read multiple text files in a single program
• Sort file
• Ability to create something a SAS PROC FREQ report
• Use table lookups during sequential file processing
• Ability to perform date math
• Subroutines
• Ability to write to multiple files based on if-then logic
• Provide basic log information (number of records read from a file, records output)
• DO NOT need this to create application – only to process data from text files (fixed block, CSV)
• I am not a supper techie guy – I can program and know how I want manipulate data – I can’t dig into registers and do complicated installs

Nice to haves: ability to embed some SQL, cluster analysis, factor analysis. Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,
John

 

[papadba]

You might look here:

http://www.cobug.com/cobug/docs/freeCompilers0098.html

Or you might want to start at their home page:

http://www.cobug.com/

 

[jfilben]

Thanks - I was aleady there but there were so many options. The purpose of my post here was actually to help me sort out which one of those compilers best fit my stated requirement.

Any other advice and thank you for responding.

 

[fredericofonseca]

• Ability to create something a SAS PROC FREQ report
What is this?

• Ability to perform date math
None does it fully. some do more than others. But there are free cobol subroutines that do that, so not a hugely important one ffrom my point of view

• Provide basic log information (number of records read from a file, records output)
Very few do this. but this you can code your self easily, as well as all the other items I didn't mention here.

What you can get is mostly going to depend on how much you are willing to pay.

Free ones only 2 or 3 on the market. and most of those do not allow SQL in a usable way

Regards

Frederico Fonseca
SysSoft Integrated Ltd

http://www.syssoft-int.com

FAQ219-2884
FAQ181-2886

 

[Glenn9999]

Since your requirement is "free", you really can't ask for too much. Given that, the free Fujitsu COBOL (v3) does do much (even though the UI is garbage). You just need to learn how to do those things. Given that, the manuals were pretty hard for me to find, but they're out there.

It is not possible for anyone to acknowledge truth when their salary depends on them not doing it.

 

[sirragu]

All of this is definately doable. We use Micro Focus Net Express. Most, if not all, of what you are asking is just knowing how to accomplish this in COBOL. It can be done. I have also used SAS for 30+ years. You will not find standard procedures for many of the SAS statistical procedures you are asking about.

 

[Crox]

somebody pointed me to R to do statistical things and gave a link:

http://www.r-project.org/

I didn't have time to use it yet.

 

[RCPD700]

I have a copy of Micro Focus Net Express 3.0 University Edition. I don't recall if it was free of cheap, but cheap is your next best option.

I've been using IBM COBOL for 40 years and just made the conversion to Micro Focus Server Express 5.1 on AIX about 18 months ago. I'd rather have their full visual COBOL for Windows, but this works pretty well.