New and Existing Databases

You may encounter one of two situations as you begin to use Database Connectors. In situation one, the database files don't exist yet. In situation two, the database files already exist, and you want to access that existing data from a COBOL application. There may or may not already be existing COBOL programs that access the database.

Each situation has potential questions.

• How do I declare COBOL data so that it matches the database data?
• Are there any special fields in the database that must be accessed in a special way?
• How do I create COBOL record names, field names, index names, and data types that best conform to the compiler, Database Connectors, and the database engine?

These questions are addressed in the next few sections.