COBOL and XML

Studio Enterprise Edition 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.

You can use the cbl2xml command-line utility 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

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

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