Peter,

I agree. Moreover, there are things COB2SAS does not handle besides OCCURS depending on. I have seen problems with REDEFINES when items are redefined inside a complex structure. Plus, COBOL evolves, too (even though it may sound like an oxymoron), and it takes a lot of effort to follow updates and implement respective changes. For this and other reasons, I have quit using the program.

However, the situation is not hopeless. Almost the entire demand for this kind of translation is concentrated in the real-computer world, and most mainframe shops license FILEAID. The latter handles *any* COBOL (including the latest IBM Cobol) and PL/I layout flawlessly, and the folks at Compuware follow updates religiously, this being their bread and butter. Normally, FILEAID is run on-line, but I find its batch version most useful. In particular, given a Cobol or PL/I layout, it produces a file with starts, stops, lengths, and type specifications. Cretaing a SAS "layout" from such a file is a first-grade assignment for a SAS or REXX programmer. As a matter of fact, since FILEAID, as any program having a system-catalogued load module, can be run from a SAS session as a non-SAS proc, the entire things is easily handled by a pretty concise SAS program. For those hating batch, there is a %WINDOW DM interface prompting for the file names and such and spitting the output.

Needless to say, those outside of the S/390 enviroment are out of all such luck.

May you have a very Merry Christmas.

Kind regards, ==================== Paul M. Dorfman Jacksonville, Fl ====================

>From: Peter Crawford <peter.crawford@DB.COM> >Reply-To: Peter Crawford <peter.crawford@DB.COM> >To: SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU >Subject: Re: Info - COBOL data descriptions >Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2000 15:03:47 +0100 > >My comments are based on experience with the v6 version of >sas2cob, so things may be better in a v8 version. > >I think the only bit "too optimistic" is hoping that the sas2cob >routines can do the whole job of building the input datastep. > >It seemed to have difficulty handling variable length sections >following "occurs depending on" sections. This limitation was >described in the readme notes with sas2cob. > >This difficulty is probably reasonable as the structure will be in >need of logical "normalisation" rather than expansion within one >data vector. Perhaps OK in the data step data vector, but it >doesn't help analysis, data storage, nor run times. >For example, one customer database held a group of 11fields >repeating up to 366 times (daily positions over the last 12 months). >This normalizes better as a separate table of info for each active >day for the customer, rather than force 11*366 variables into the >customer table along with the thousand other variables. >The big wide table was the original design, which sas2cob nearly delivered! > > > > > > > >Datum: 21/12/2000 13:33 >An: SAS-L@listserv.uga.edu > > > > >Antwort an: ghellrieg@t-online.de > >Betreff: Re: Info - COBOL data descriptions >Nachrichtentext: > > >did you find the old (V6) code? If yes, it should be not a big problem to >take the peace of code out, which reduces the COBOL variables to 8 chars. >You simply can replace the 8 or 7 with the length-limit of SAS V8 >variables. I think there is a kind of redundancy check in the SAS macro, >because sometimes you get redundant names if you cut off some chars. This >problem should not occure now any more, but you can leave this code as it >is. There should be no problem with that. > >I've not seen the code, but I expect no big problems. Am I too optimistic? > > > > > >-- > >Diese E-Mail enthält vertrauliche und/oder rechtlich geschützte >Informationen. Wenn Sie nicht der richtige Adressat sind oder diese E-Mail >irrtümlich erhalten haben, informieren Sie bitte sofort den Absender und >vernichten Sie diese Mail. Das unerlaubte Kopieren sowie die unbefugte >Weitergabe dieser Mail ist nicht gestattet. > >This e-mail may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you >are not the intended recipient (or have received this e-mail in error) >please notify the sender immediately and destroy this e-mail. Any >unauthorised copying, disclosure or distribution of the material in this >e-mail is strictly forbidden.

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