GixSQL

GixSQL is a way in which Cobol programs are able to use modern database management systems in a Linux environment. A setup with a Cobol PostgreSQL program and a simple compilation workflow are below.

Cobol

Cobol has been around for more than 60 years and will stay around for the foreseeable future, estimates are that there are about 800 billion lines of Business Cobol code around. The programs are heavily used, servicing about 80% of all financial and business transaction.
The reason behind this endurance lies in the fact that Cobol is a standardised language, a program written in 1974 can be compiled today with a modern compiler. The resulting executable program still runs today, without the need of adaptation.
Traditionally Cobol programs have their application in big business mainframe environments. These large enterprises, however, are shifting more and more of their applications to the Linux platform. The broad adoption of Linux in the enterprise environment started around 2010. So, it is no wonder that Cobol gradually is being made available for the Linux platform, enter GNUCobol.

GNUCobol

Is an Open Source Cobol compiler, the project originally started in 2002 [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GnuCOBOL GNUCobol ] as OpenCobol. GNUCobol is now a full blown Cobol compiler.

PostgreSQL and Cobol

PostgreSQL is getting more and more traction around the world, also in the big enterprises. Big enterprises have ample reason to stick to their Cobol program stack, in which they invested huge amounts of money. So if PostgreSQL is to make it to the business applications of the big enterprises, it has to find a way to interact in a reliable manner with Cobol. Enter the GixSQL SQL preprocessor for Cobol.

Practical introduction to GiSQL

This chapter contains guidance to set up a working GixSQL for PostgreSQL development environment.

Prerequisites

• Debian 12
• GnuCobol4
• libmariadb-dev libmariadb-dev-compat libpq5 unixodbc libfmt9
• GixSQL

You obtain GixSQL here; GixSQL.