Question { Wipro, 29814 }

Cursors can be declared in both working-storage & procedure
division, Agreed.
But is there any difference? If could you please suggest
what is the difference.
TIA

Answer

In CICS programs, data is passed in the Communications Area (CA) via the Linkage Section.

If your cursor is predicated (WHERE clause) on a field in the CA, you could code your cursor early in the Procedure Division prior to any open cursor logic. This will avoid using additional variables, and MOVE statements.

If you keep your cursor in the Working Storage area, you cannot use fields in the Linkage section as host variables, because the DB2 pre-compiler will see the cursor first, and NOT have a resolution for the host variable (it hasn't seen the Linkage Section, yet).

It mostly is up to you, unless your shop is a stickler on variables and locations, etc.

Also, over the years I have seen shops become more code-it-and-load-it in philosophy. Very sad.