You can use UTF-8 (PIC U) data items as the arguments to the STRING, UNSTRING, JSON GENERATE, and JSON PARSE statements.

With a function prototype, you can define the function name, parameters, and returning value of a user-defined function or other non-COBOL external functions such as C functions and invoke these functions. This is part of the 2014 COBOL Standard.

You can use dynamic-length data items as arguments to the JSON GENERATE and JSON PARSE statements. You can also specify the encoding of the JSON document by using the new ENCODING phrase.

Enterprise COBOL 6.4 provides a new sample JCL to demonstrate how a non-OO COBOL/Java interoperable application can be built and run entirely using JCL.

Enterprise COBOL 6.4 provides a contrived COBOL/Java interoperable application for demonstration purposes and new sample files in the COBOL install directory in the z/OS UNIX file system.

Enterprise COBOL 6.4 supports the latest features of IBM z16 to maximize your hardware investment, reduce CPU usage, and improve performance of critical COBOL applications.

Enterprise COBOL 6.4 simplifies interoperability between your COBOL and Java applications so that you can easily extend your COBOL applications with Java. 

Create AMODE 64 COBOL applications that can interoperate with your existing AMODE 31 COBOL applications. Handle your growing COBOL program data without converting the entire application to run in AMODE 64.

Write your own functions and invoke them like intrinsic functions, improving code modularity and maintainability.

COBOL modules that you compile today can be easily optimized in the future by ABO to utilize future IBM Z hardware enhancements, without having to be recompiled.

Dynamic call is supported in a mixed AMODE 31/AMODE 64 environment.

An enhancement is made to assist COBOL programs running in AMODE 31 to interact with programs in AMODE 64.

With the new CONVERTING phrase added to the JSON GENERATE and JSON PARSE statements, you can generate and parse JSON boolean values.

With the new when-phrase and generic-suppression-phrase added to the JSON GENERATE statement, you can conditionally suppress data items during JSON GENERATE.

With the new date and time intrinsic functions (as part of the 2002 and 2014 COBOL Standards), you can encode and decode date and time information to and from formats specified in ISO 8601, and also encode and decode date and time information to and from integers that are suitable for arithmetic.