Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) – A programming language for simple computations on large amount of data. It is portable to multiple platforms and support for complex program structures. As COBOL is suited to batch processing, some PeopleSoft applications uses routines written in Micro Focus COBOL.
PeopleSoft applications use COBOL for the purpose of building and executing SQL with additional logic structures.
If PeopleSoft application uses COBOL routines then we require a COBOL compiler and if application does not use COBOL routines then we do not require a COBOL compiler.
Some products within PeopleSoft Human Resources Management (HRMS), Financial Management Solutions, and Supply Chain Management use Micro Focus COBOL routines. PeopleSoft Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Enterprise Performance Management, and Portal solutions do not use Micro Focus COBOL routines.
If you are licensed and using any of such modules in peoplesoft products, which use Micro Focus COBOL routines, then you must have to have Micro Focus COBOL compiler in order to initially compile the code, and to re-compile the code if any fixes are necessary.
Hence, if you are using a module, which has COBOL routines, you will require a COBOL compiler.
There is a complete list of PeopleSoft products that contain routines written in COBOL available in our COBOL and Module Chart available on Metalink. In the COBOL spreadsheet, you can find a listing of PeopleSoft Enterprise products and an indication of whether COBOL is required for that product.
The criteria for determining whether COBOL is required for your product is based on the following:
1. COBOL code is in the product that is delivered on the CD; or,
2. There is a required dependency with another product that has COBOL delivered under their product on the CD. A "required dependency" means that a customer has to have this other product along with their product.
Examples include:
General Ledger has COBOL that is delivered on the CD, so the COBOL requirement is "yes".
Resource Management has No COBOL they deliver (and no required dependency on a product that has COBOL) so the requirement is "no".
Supply Planning has no COBOL they deliver, but they have a required dependency on Inventory (who does deliver COBOL), so the requirement is "yes".
So if our application has COBOL routines, then we have to compile all the cobols with PeopleSoft certify Cobol compiler after the installation of PeopleTools and Application. We can run COBOL processes only after successful compilation of all the Cobol source files. We cannot use any other COBOL compiler from any vendor because PeopleSoft routines in COBOL are specifically written for the Micro Focus Complier syntax. They will not work correctly with other COBOL compliers.
