COBOL and XML

Your COBOL development system makes it easy to harness the power of XML data exchange with existing and new COBOL applications.

XML syntax extensions augment the COBOL syntax already supported. The extensions support a full range of syntax for manipulating XML documents, and are processed using the XML preprocessor. See the chapter XML Syntax Extensions for more information.

The cbl2xml command-line utility enable you to:

Generate COBOL with XML syntax
Generate an XML schema based on existing COBOL records
Map COBOL records to a schema
Validate XML schemas and instance documents

For detailed information on cbl2xml, see the chapter Generating COBOL Structures with XML Syntax.

Whether you do the process manually or with the aid of cbl2xml, the process of XML-enabling a COBOL application consists of:

Modifying the COBOL code using XML syntax extensions
Generating COBOL data records with XML syntax
Compiling the code, which invokes the XML preprocessor
Testing and deploying the application

Note:

You cannot create static linked programs that handle XML data, as only the shared run-time system supports the XML interface.

If you would like to read a brief overview of XML technology, see the section XML in Brief later in this chapter.