Company name: BOA

COBOL
1. Static call VS Dynamic call
2. How can you tell a CALL is static or dynamic just by looking at the code?
3. If a COBBAT program is calling COBBATDB program, how many plans would be there?
4. What are the ways you can pass values to other programs?
5. What are the ways you can get vales to a program?
6. What is the use of REPLACING clause in COBOL program against copybooks?
DB2
1. Catalog tables?
2. PLAN_TABLE - what are the values you will look in the table for optimization?
3. DEAD-LOCK?
4. If a program is running for a long time which ran very minimal time yesterday, what are all
could be the reason?
5. SQL codes: 904, 903, 904, 811, 803, 530
6. Why cursor?
7. I know my query will return more than one row but I don't want cursor what should I do? -provide FETCH FIRST ROW ONLY
8. What is 305? NULL indicator not handled properly.
9. What are the ways to handle NULL indicator?
10. DB2 utilities REORG, RUNSTAT
11. There is a student table where a student can have more subjects and marks secured in that
subject. Now want the complete details of student who appeared for more than 3 subjects.
12. UNION, UNION ALL which will give a distinct result? --- UNION
13. What is the difference between GROUP BY and ORDER BY?
14. COMMIT and ROLLBACK --- how will you secure opened cursor from COMMIT? Will ROLLBACK
close all the opened cursor?
15. SYSIBM tables?
16. How can you get the number of rows impacted by the last executed query? - SQLERRD (3)
17. Isolation levels? CS, RR, UR
18. I am compiling my DB2 with CS will it lock the table though I use simple select on a table?
19. What are cluster and index?
Company name : HCL
1. How will you build an internal array in COBOL program --- OCCURS clause
2. How will you create a dynamic internal table? --- using DEPENDING ON clause.
3. Do we need to declare the depending on clause variable in WS? -- NO
4. Dynamic and Static calls? How will you identify just by looking at the program?
5. How will you pass values to the other programs? Via Linkage section, MQ, Files, TDQ, TSQ,
Channels & Containers
6. Why we should use TSQ, we can use TDQ instead right?
7. What is Binary search? What is the default ordering of Binary search -- ASC.
8. What is executable PLAN or Package?
9. What is Subscript and Index?
Company Name - CTS
1.
2.
3.
4.

Static VS Dynamic calls

Subscript VS INDEX -- which is better? Why it is better?
Search VS Search all?
What is COMP and COMP3? How much space will 9(4) COMP occupy?

5. What are isolation levels? What each will do?

6. What are cursors? Why we need cursors?
7. Explain a simple program which involves DB2 like how will you declare cursor, fetch, close etc.
8. Explain DB2 program compilation process.
9. Explain CICS-DB2 program compilation process.
10. Questions on Redefine like can WS-A X(100) can be redefined by WS-B X(200) wise versa?
11. Different file open MODES and their purpose? - INPUT, OUTPUT, I-O, EXTEND.
12. Few DB2 SQLCODEs 811, 530, 803 like most frequent.
13. Later I was asked to write few queries by given few sample tables -- which involved JOINS,
SUM (*), Group by etc.,
14. What does BLOCK SIZE IS ZERO means while defining the file in COBOL: program?
Company name - CSC
DB2
SQL codes -501 to -504, -904, -911, -803, -180, -181, -305, -205, -922 etc
Null indicator - how will you handle it? What are the possible values returned to null-indicator-var?
-2, -1, 0
DB2 Load and unload utilities.
About Explain? How will you determine cost of an query.? Where it will be available?
About COBBATDB program compilation process.
Bind options?
Isolation levels - CS RR UR RS.. about each.
Which is executable pkg or plan?
How will you copy a entire table in one region to another table which is having two more additional
columns.?
Portioned tables?

COBOL
Internal table
Search and search all
What are the changes need to be done while you changing a SERCH clause by SEARCH ALL clause
PERFORM types
String unstring inspect
How will you get the system date in COBOL pgm? and how will you get the date of 10 days after
today in COBOL (not using DB2)?
Evaluate and If end-if - some situation and answers
File organizations and access modes for VSAM files
JCL
VSAM utility - IDCAMS
Diff between Repro and SORT-copy?
What are the parameters used while creating GDG, KSDS, RRDS, ESDS
GDG - questions like - file created in step one and how it will be referred in next step. This job
abends after step1, then what are the changes need to be done while re-running/ changes
needed?
Understandings on JCLLIB, JOBLIB and STEPLIB
How will you check a file is empty and stop processing the next steps.
What is COND=EVEN, COND=ONLY
How many DD statement in a step?
How many steps in a PROC?
About JES3, JES2
CICS

What is DFHCOMMAREA
What is the return code when a file open error occurs in CICS
What are the CICS abends that you are aware of?
_________________
Guru:-)
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Real time Mainframe interview Questions and Answers :

1.What is DRDA ?
DRDA stands for Distributed Relational Database Architecture. DRDA is a connection
protocol for relational database processing which IBM and vendor databases use. It consists
of rules for communication between a remote relational DBMS and the application.
2. Explain the use of the WHERE?
The WHERE clause isolates an element or row whenever it is used with a
relational statement.
3. How can a LIKE table be created?
It can be made by the use of the LIKE parameter in the statement CREATE. These tables are
generally required for testing the production environment.

4. What is the need of running runstats in the test environment?

It is for clearing the default values from the catalog columns. Because if the columns have
default values then the result might not be an expected one.
5. What is the need of a secondary index in IMS?
It is a substitute path into any IMS database. It can be used as a file to acquire required data.
6. Explain foreign keys?
Foreign keys are properties of a particular table having matching entries to a primary key in
some another table. This results in the formation of a relation between the two tables.
7. Write about the selfreferencing constraint?
It limits the changes that can be made to the primary key from a foreign key. For this
purpose, the foreign key has to define a DELETE CASCADE rule.
8. What does a deadlock mean in DB2?
When two independent processes contend for the same resource or the resources reserved by
one another, it is called a deadlock. 911 and 913
are the SQLcode for a deadlock.
9. What is the function of DBCTL?
It is used to access IMS files for CICS Transactions and it is an address space. PSBs, DBDs,
IMS files and ACBs are fixed into DBCTL for file access. Now if an IMS call is generated by a
CICS program the processing gets transferred to DBCTL to be carried, and the result is sent
as reply.
10. How are TYPE 1 and TYPE 2 indexes different?
TYPE 2 index is available for DB2V4. In this type, the data pages get locked, but the index
pages are not locked. Therefore, TYPE 2 index are faster.
11. What are the different types of Table spaces?
There are three table spaces, namely:
Simple
Segmented
Partitioned
12. Write the difference between HIDAM and HDAM databases?
HIDAM has a separate index file which is based on the root segment. This file has
information regarding the pointer that marks the position of the data. On the other hand,
HDAM file does not have separate index file, but the key field of every record is passed
through a randomizer which places the record to a particular position in the database.
13. Explain referential integrity?
It is the rule that states that consistency needs to be conserved between the
foreign and primary keys. This means that each foreign key entry needs to have a fitting
primary key entry.
14. How are composite and multiple indexes different?
Multiple index are two indexes, one each for a column of the same table.
Composite index is only one index, which consists of combined values of 2
columns of a table.
15. What is the advantage in Denormalizing tables in DB2?
It lowers the requirement for executing intensive relational joins. It also cuts the number of
required foreign keys.

16. Explain Database Descriptor in brief?

DBD, short for Database Descriptor, restricts access to the database when objects get altered,
created or dropped.
17. State the maximum value up to which volumes can be inserted to
an STOGROUP?
Volumes can be inserted up to 133. Practically though, only 34
volumes, when added to an STOGROUP, becomes hard to manage and monitor.
18. Explain deleteconnected tables?
Tables, which are related through a foreign key, are known as deleteconnected tables. This is
because whenever any entry in the primary key is deleted, it affects the values in the foreign
key table too.
19. Explain lock contention?
The DBD only allows entry to one object at a particular time. Lock contention is said to
happen when more than one object seeks permission for execution simultaneously.
20. What is SPUFI?
SPUFI is the abbreviated form of SQL Processing Using File Input. It is a menudriven tool
which the developers use to make objects in the database.
21. What is an alias?
It is a substitute to a synonym. Aliases are developed for distributed environments so as to
avoid the use of location qualifier of a view or table. It is not dropped when the table gets
deleted.
22. What is the place for VSAM KSDS?
It is the BSDS.
23. Name and explain the type of locks?
There are three types of lock, namely:
Shared This type of lock permits two or more programs to read from the locked space but
does not allow them to change it.
Update This lock is more lenient. It permits the program to read and change the locked
space.
Exclusive This lock restricts all users from accessing the locked space.
24. Explain isolation level?
Isolation level is the degree to which the activation group in focus is isolated from the
activation groups executing at the same time.
25. What is NOTCAT2?
It is an MVS message that indicates the presence of a duplicate catalogue in the database.
This problem can be fixed by removing one of the entries and then adding a new one.
26. What will happen if both STEPLIB and JOBLIB are specified?
JOBLIB is a Data Definition statement. It determines the location of the program,which
called the EXEC statement. JOBLIB applies to all steps present in that whole job. It is not
possible to use it for catalogued procedures. STEPLIB is very similar JOBLIB. It determines
the dataset in which the program exists. It applies only to one step and not the entire job.
STEPLIB can be used at any position in the job step and can also be used for catalogued
procedures. In a situation when both STEPLIB and JOBLIB are specified, JOBLIB will be
ignored by the system.

27. State the difference between JES2 and JES3?

In JES3, the allocation of data sets for the steps takes place even before the job is scheduled
for execution. While in JES2, this allocation takes place just before the execution of each
step.
28. State all the File OPEN modes?
The four File Open methods are:
INPUT
OUTPUT
EXTEND
IO
29. Is the order of the WHEN clause significant in an EVALUATE
statement?
Yes, the order is significant as the evaluation takes place in the top to bottom manner and,
therefore, the order has a large impact in the determination of results.
30. When are scope terminators compulsory?
They are compulsory for EVALUATE statements and inline
PERFORMS. Scope terminators are always declared explicitly to improve readability.
31. What is linkage section?
It is a part of a program that is being called and maps to data items in the
programs (calling) working storage. Linkage Sections is where shared items are declared
and defined.
32. How is NEXT SENTENCE and CONTINUE different?
The NEXT SENTENCE hands the flow of control to the statement that follows the next
period. On the other hand, CONTINUE hands the flow of control to the next statement after
the scope terminator.
33. What is the need to code COMMITS in batch programs?
COMMIT statements are used to release locks which are required for that unit of work, and
then permit a new unit of work. In other words, if COMMITS are not coded in the program
and the program has been sent for execution, then while processing, in place of just going
back to a few inserts since the nearest commit, the program has to go back to the inserts
which were made during the entire run of the program. This extra process takes around
twice or thrice the time taken normally.
34. How is data retrieved from multiple tables using a single SQL
statement?
Data can be retrieved from multiple tables by using joins, nested selects and
unions.
35. Write about a view in brief?
It is a virtual table that is made using data from base tables and other views. This table is not
stored separately.
36. What parameters are used to control the free space in DB2?
Free space permits the addition of new rows.There are two parameters, which are used to
control the free space in DB2, they are:
PCTFREE It defines the free space percentage that will be present in each page.
FREEPAGE It specifies the number of pages to be loaded before leaving a page empty.

37. What is the function of CURRENTDATA option in bind?

It allows block fetch when selecting rows in a table. It is set to NO by default from
DB2V4. So it is important to change CURRENTDATA (YES), in the bind cards, to
NO in DB2V3 & earlier, as YES is the default value for them.
38. How can record locking be achieved in those DB2 versions which
do not support it?
It can be done by setting the record lengths size to more than half of the pages size.
39. State the maximum number of tables that can be joined?
The maximum numbers of tables that can be joined are fifteen.
40. Explain index cardinality?
Index cardinality is the number of discrete entries in a column. In DB2, a utility RUNSTATS
examines the column value redundancy to find if an index scan or tablespace is required for
searching of data.
41. Define clustered index?
A clustered index is the one in which columns are maintained in the same
sequence as the rows until there is still free space in the memory. DB2 then
processes the table in the given order expeditiously.
42. Name the lockable units in DB2?
DB2 implements locking on four types of units:
Pages
Indexes sub page
Tables
Table space
43. What is the function of the verb INITIALIZE?
This verb sets Alphanumeric, alphabetic and alphanumeric field items to
(Space) and Numeric and Numeric edited field items to 0 (Zero). The
INITIALIZE verb leaves FILLER items unchanged.
44. What is the importance of COMMON Attribute?
Its functions are utilized in nested COBOL programs. If COMMON attribute will not be
specified, the nested programs will find it impossible to access the program. An example of
COMMON program is Pgmname.
45. What will be the result if ON SIZE ERROR phrase is declared?
When the condition is true, the code written in the ON SIZE ERROR phrase is performed.
During this process, the content of the destination field does not change. If this phrase is not
mentioned, then the statement is executed with truncation. MOVE statement does not
support the ON SIZE ERROR phrase.
46. Can records be accessed randomly in ESDS?
Yes, records can be accessed randomly. It can be done by reference of Relative Byte Address
(RBA). However, it is not possible to delete records.
47. Why is free space left in KSDS Dataset?
While allocating KSDS Datasets, free space is declared at regular intervals at the time of
initial loading. This is done because this free space is utilized for keeping the data arranged
in sequence physically, even though inserted randomly.

48. Write in brief about clusters?

It is a combination consisting of the sequence set, index and data portions in the Data set.
The cluster has the program access given to it by the Operating System, and this allows
access to be granted to all parts of the Dataset at the same time.
49. Explain path?
It is a file that makes accessing a file by alternate index possible. The path defines a relation
between the base cluster and the AIX.
(http://interviewquestionsanswerspdf.com/2014/03/jmsinterviewquestionsandanswers/)
50 REAL TIME CICS Interview Questions and Answers
(http://interviewquestionsanswerspdf.com/2014/03/cicsinterviewquestionsandanswers/)
50. What is the function of IEBGENER?
IEBGENER helps in copying one SAM File to some other Source. It is also used to perform
simple data reformatting through the supply of control cards via SYSIN.