COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs (H06.08+, J06.03+)

Data Description Entries
The data description entries for unrelated items (level-77 items) or records or both follow the
Working-Storage Section header. Record-names, level-77 item names, and subordinate data-names
are not required to be unique within the program except in these cases:
• A data-name that is referenced in the program and cannot be uniquely designated by including
qualifying names in the reference cannot be uniquely designated by including qualifying
names in the reference (the reference is diagnosed, not the data-name)
• A data-name for a language element whose syntax mandates uniqueness; for example, the
level-01 names of external data items
If data items have hierarchical relationships to one another, you must group them into records
according to the rules for record descriptions. All clauses available for record descriptions in the
File Section are available for record descriptions in the Working-Storage Section. See Descriptions
of Records (Levels 01-49).
If elementary data items bear no relationship to any other items, you do not need to group them
into records. You can define each as a noncontiguous item with level number 77, followed by a
data-name and a PICTURE or USAGE clause. Other data description clauses are optional for
noncontiguous items; you can use other clauses to complete an item’s description when necessary.
You do not have to put level-01 items (records) and level-77 items in any special order in the
Working-Storage Section; however, if you are planning working storage for a program to be run
as a process pair, see Checkpointing for a recommended approach that simplifies checkpointing.
You can also use level-66 data description entries to rename contiguous items in a record (see
Descriptions That Rename Items (Level 66)) and level-88 data description entries to assign
condition-names to values of items (see Descriptions of Condition-Names for Values (Level 88)).
In Example 39, the Working-Storage Section has five record description entries.
176 Data Division