Compiler limits

COBOL for AIX supports various compiler limits for programs and class definitions.

Table 1. **Compiler limits**
Language element	Compiler limit
Maximum length of user-defined words (for example, `data-name`, `file-name`, `class-name`)	30 bytes
Size of program	With NOTEST: 999,999 lines With TEST in 32-bit mode: 65,535 lines With TEST in 64-bit mode: 2,147,483,647 lines
Number of literals	4,194,303
Total length of literals	4,194,303 bytes
Reserved word table entries	1536
COPY REPLACING . . . BY . . . (items per COPY statement)	No limit
Number of COPY libraries	No limit
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
Configuration section
Special-names paragraph
`mnemonic-name` IS	18
UPSI-`n` . . . (switches)	0-7
`alphabet-name` IS . . .	No limit
Literal THRU . . . or ALSO . . .	256
Input-Output section
File-control paragraph
SELECT `file-name` . . .	A maximum of 65,535 file names can be assigned external names
ASSIGN `system-name` . . .	No limit
RECORD KEY length	No limit
RESERVE `integer` (buffers)	255
I-O-control paragraph
RERUN ON `system-name` . . .	32,767
RERUN `integer` RECORDS	16,777,215
SAME RECORD AREA	255
SAME RECORD AREA FOR `file-name` . . .	255
SAME SORT/MERGE AREA	No limit
MULTIPLE FILE `file-name` . . .	No limit
DATA DIVISION
77 data item size	With ADDR(32): 999,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 2,147,483,646 bytes
01-49 data item size	With ADDR(32): 999,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 2,147,483,646 bytes
Total 01 + 77 (data items)	No limit
88 condition-names . . .	No limit
VALUE literal . . .	No limit
66 RENAMES . . .	No limit
PICTURE clause, number of characters in `character-string`	50
PICTURE clause, numeric item digit positions	With ARITH(COMPAT): 18 With ARITH(EXTEND): 31
PICTURE clause, numeric-edited character positions	249
Picture symbol replication ( )	With ADDR(32): 999,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 2,147,483,646 bytes
Picture symbol replication (editing)	32,767
Picture symbol replication ( ), class DBCS items	With ADDR(32): 499,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 1,073,741,823 bytes
Picture symbol replication ( ), class national items	With ADDR(32): 499,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 1,073,741,823 bytes
Elementary item size	With ADDR(32): 999,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 2,147,483,646 bytes
OCCURS integer	With ADDR(32): 999,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 2,147,483,646 bytes
Total number of ODOs	4,194,303
Table size	With ADDR(32): 999,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 2,147,483,646 bytes
Table element size	With ADDR(32): 999,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 2,147,483,646 bytes
ASCENDING or DESCENDING KEY . . . (per OCCURS clause)	12 KEYS
Total length of keys (per OCCURS clause)	256 bytes
INDEXED BY . . . (index names per OCCURS clause)	12
Total number of indexes (index names) per class or program	65,535
Size of relative index	32,765
FILE SECTION
FD record description entry	1,048,576 bytes For more information on size limits, see File input-output limitations.
FD `file-name` . . .	65,535
LABEL `data-name` . . . (if no optional clauses)	255
Label record length	80 bytes
BLOCK CONTAINS `integer`	2,147,483,647 bytes
RECORD CONTAINS `integer`	1,048,576 bytes For more information on size limits, see File input-output limitations.
LINAGE clause values	99,999,999
SD `file-name` . . .	65,535
DATA RECORD `data-name` . . .	No limit
LINKAGE SECTION
Total size	With ADDR(32): 2,147,483,646 bytes With ADDR(64): Unlimited, up to the available 64-bit addressing capacity of the machine.
LOCAL-STORAGE SECTION
Total size	With ADDR(32): 2,147,483,646 bytes With ADDR(64): Unlimited, up to the available 64-bit addressing capacity of the machine.
WORKING-STORAGE SECTION
Total size of items without the external attribute	With ADDR(32): 2,147,483,646 bytes With ADDR(64): Unlimited, up to the available 64-bit addressing capacity of the machine.
Total size of items with the external attribute	With ADDR(32): 2,147,483,646 bytes With ADDR(64): Unlimited, up to the available 64-bit addressing capacity of the machine.
PROCEDURE DIVISION
PROCEDURE DIVISION USING `identifier` . . .	32,767
Procedure-names	1,048,575
Subscripted data-names per statement	32,767
Verbs per line (TEST)	7
ADD `identifier` . . .	No limit
ALTER `procedure-name-1` TO `procedure-name-2` . . .	4,194,303
CALL . . . BY CONTENT `identifier`	With ADDR(32): 2,147,483,647 bytes With ADDR(64): Unlimited, up to the available 64-bit addressing capacity of the machine.
CALL `identifier` or `literal` USING `identifier` or `literal` . . .	500
CALL `literal` . . .	4,194,303
Active programs in a run unit	32,767
Number of names called (DYN option)	No limit
CANCEL `identifier` or `literal` . . .	No limit
CLOSE file-name . . .	No limit
COMPUTE `identifier` . . .	No limit
DISPLAY `identifier` or `literal` . . .	No limit
DIVIDE `identifier` . . .	No limit
ENTRY USING `identifier` or `literal` . . .	No limit
EVALUATE . . . subjects	64
EVALUATE . . . WHEN clauses	256
GO `procedure-name` . . . DEPENDING	255
INSPECT TALLYING and REPLACING clauses	No limit
MERGE `file-name` ASC or DES KEY . . .	No limit
Total merge key length	4,092 bytes
MERGE USING `file-name` . . .	16
MOVE `identifier` or `literal` TO `identifier` . . .	No limit
MULTIPLY `identifier` . . .	No limit
OPEN file-name . . .	No limit
PERFORM	4,194,303
PERFORM . . . TIMES `identifier` or `literal`	999,999,999
SEARCH . . . WHEN . . .	No limit
SET `index` or `identifier` . . . TO	No limit
SET `index` . . . UP/DOWN	No limit
SORT `file-name` ASC or DES KEY	No limit
Total sort key length	4,092 bytes
SORT USING `file-name` . . .	16
STRING `identifier` . . .	No limit
STRING DELIMITED `identifier` or `literal` . . .	No limit
UNSTRING DELIMITED `identifier` or `literal` . . .	255
UNSTRING INTO `identifier` or `literal` . . .	No limit
USE . . . ON `file-name` . . .	No limit
XML PARSE statement, maximum size of `identifier`	With ADDR(32): 999,999,999 bytes With ADDR(64): 2,147,483,646 bytes

File input-output limitations

Beginning with version 4.1.1 of COBOL for AIX, you can no longer indicate that a COBOL for AIX program should create small or large-format files. Instead, by default, COBOL for AIX version 4.1.1 or later programs will ignore the FILEMODE option and create large-format files.

For compatibility with COBOL for AIX Version 2, Version 3 and Version 4.1, you can read files created in small-format.

This section lists file input-output limitations for different types of files.

Line-sequential files

Minimum record size: 0
Maximum record size: 2**64 -2
Maximum number of records: no maximum
Maximum record key value: not applicable
Maximum number of bytes allocated for a file: 2**64 -1

SFS files

Maximum record size: 2**32 -1
Maximum number of records: 2**64
Maximum record key value: 2**32 -1
Maximum number of bytes allocated for a file: 64GB

SdU files

Minimum record size: 1 byte
Maximum record key length: 255 bytes
Maximum relative key value: 2**31 -1
Maximum record size:
- If FILEMODE(LARGE) is in effect: 2**64 -2
- If FILEMODE(SMALL) is in effect: 2**32 -1
Maximum number of records:
- If FILEMODE(LARGE) is in effect: 2**64
- If FILEMODE(SMALL) is in effect: 2**32
Maximum record key value:
- If FILEMODE(LARGE) is in effect: 2**64 -1
- If FILEMODE(SMALL) is in effect: 2**32 -1
Maximum number of bytes allocated for a file: 2**64 -1

STL files

Minimum record size: 0
Maximum record key length: 255 bytes
Maximum number of alternate keys: 253
Maximum relative key value: 2**31 -1
Maximum record size: 2**32 -1
Maximum number of records:
- If FILEMODE(LARGE) is in effect: 2**64
- If FILEMODE(SMALL) is in effect: 2**32
Maximum record key value: 2**32 -1
Maximum number of bytes allocated for a file: 2**64 -1

RSD files

Fixed and variable records
Minimum record size: 0
Maximum record size: 2**64 -2
Maximum number of records: no maximum
Maximum record key value: 2**64 -1
Maximum number of bytes allocated for a file: 2**64 -1

QSAM files

Maximum record size:
- Fixed-length records: 2**64
- Variable-length records: 2**16 -4
Maximum number of records: no maximum
Maximum record key value: 2**64
Maximum number of bytes allocated for a file: 2**64

DB2® files

The limitations listed below assume simple tables and the default 4 KB database page size.

Minimum record size: 0 bytes
Maximum row length: 4005 bytes
Maximum record size for fixed-length records:
- Indexed records: 4005 bytes
- Small-format relative or sequential records: 4001 bytes
- Large-format relative or sequential records: 3997 bytes
Because keys must be at a fixed location in an indexed file record, there are separate constraints for indexed files that end with a variable-length data segment.
Maximum record size for variable-length records:
- For VARCHAR columns, the limits are 4 bytes fewer than for fixed-length records, because the data for the VARCHAR type is maintained directly in the row, and is preceded by a 4-byte descriptor.
- For other variable length types, such as BLOB, only the descriptor is stored in the row. The data is stored separately, and has a maximum size of 2 GB.
Maximum number of records for relative and sequential files:
- For small filemode: 2**32
- For large filemode: 2**64
Maximum number of alternate keys: 500
Maximum record key value:
- For small filemode: 2**32 -1
- For large filemode: 2**64 -1
Maximum number of bytes allocated for a file: 64 GB

For information about the limits of DB2 files, see SQL and XML limits in the DB2 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows, Database Administration Concepts and Configuration Reference.

For information about the limits of Encina SFS files, see the TXSeries® for Multiplatforms: CICS® Application Programming Guide.

For information about ARITH, see ARITH in the COBOL for AIX Programming Guide.

For information about ADDR, see ADDR in the COBOL for AIX Programming Guide.