I-O-CONTROL paragraph
The I-O-CONTROL paragraph of the input-output section specifies when checkpoints are to be taken and the storage areas to be shared by different files. This paragraph is optional in a COBOL program.
The keyword I-O-CONTROL can appear only once, at the beginning of the paragraph. The word I-O-CONTROL must begin in Area A and must be followed by a separator period.
The order in which I-O-CONTROL paragraph clauses are written is not significant. The I-O-CONTROL paragraph ends with a separator period.