IBM Software Engineer Interview Questions, Process, and Tips

COMP and COMP-3 are data types used in COBOL programming language.

• COMP is a binary data type that stores numeric values as binary integers.

• COMP-3 is a packed decimal data type that stores numeric values as packed decimal digits.

• COMP uses less storage space compared to COMP-3.

• COMP-3 is more suitable for decimal arithmetic operations.

• COMP-3 values are stored in a packed format, where each digit occupies half a byte.

• COMP-...read more

To check if a file is empty or not, we can use the file's size or read the file and check for any content.

• Get the size of the file using file system APIs and check if it is zero.

• Read the file and check if it contains any content.

• Handle exceptions or errors that may occur during file operations.

Data can pass from JCL to COBOL program in multiple ways, such as through input files, system symbols, and program parameters.

• Input files: Data can be passed to a COBOL program through input files specified in the JCL.

• System symbols: JCL can define system symbols that can be accessed by the COBOL program to retrieve data.

• Program parameters: JCL can pass parameters to the COBOL program, which can be used to receive data...read more

To insert or update data in a table, use SQL statements like INSERT INTO or UPDATE.

• For inserting data, use the INSERT INTO statement followed by the table name and column names.

• Specify the values to be inserted using the VALUES keyword.

• For updating data, use the UPDATE statement followed by the table name.

• Set the column values to be updated using the SET keyword.

• Use conditions with the WHERE clause to specify which row

An array is a data structure that stores a collection of elements of the same type.

• Arrays can be used to store and access multiple values using a single variable.

• To load data into an array of strings, you can assign values to each element individually or use a loop.

• Example: String[] names = {"John", "Jane", "Mike"};

• Example: for(int i = 0; i < names.length; i++) { names[i] = "Value" + i; }

To eliminate duplicates from 2 files and send them to another output file, we can use a combination of file reading, hashing, and file writing.

• Read the contents of both files and store them in separate arrays or lists.

• Create a hash table or dictionary to keep track of the unique elements in the arrays.

• Iterate through the arrays and add each element to the hash table. If the element already exists, skip it.

• Write the con...read more

S0C7 abend is a mainframe error caused by invalid data. It can be resolved by identifying the source of the error and correcting it.

• S0C7 abend is caused by invalid data in a numeric field

• To resolve it, identify the source of the error and correct it

• Common causes include incorrect data types, invalid characters, and overflow

• Debugging tools like IBM Debug Tool can help identify the source of the error