Why does COBOL have both `SECTION` and `PARAGRAPH`?

Question

Why does COBOL have both SECTION and PARAGRAPH?

Can anybody explain why the designers of COBOL created both SECTIONs and PAR

Answer 1

We use COBOL SECTION coding in all of our 37K MVS batch COBOL programs. We use this technique to get much faster run times and significantly reduced CPU overhead. This COBOL coding technique is very similar to high performance batch assembler.

Call it High Performance Functionally Structured COBOL programming

Once a SECTION is defined all PERFORM xxxxx will return at the next coded SECTION not the next paragraph in the SECTION. If paragraphs are coded ahead of the first SECTION then they can be executed normally. (But we don't allow this)

Using a SECTION has higher overhead than when using and PERFORM ing only paragraphs - U N L E S S - you use GOTO logic to bypass code that should be conditionally executed. Our rule is that a GOTO can only point to a Tag-Line in the same SECTION. (a paragraph) All paragraphs in a SECTION must be a sub function of the SECTION s function. The EXIT instruction is an assembler NOP instruction. It allow for a Tag-Line to be placed before the next SECTION - a fast exit/return.

Executing a PERFORM xxxx THRU yyyy has more CPU overhead than execution a SECTION without the GOTO s.

WARNING: Executing a PERFORM xxxx Tag-Line in a SECTION will fall thru all the code in the SECTION until the next SECTION is encountered. A GOTO Tag-Line outside of the current SECTION will fall thru all the code in the new landing SECTION until the next SECTION is encountered. (But we don't allow this)