To pass data from the JCL (Job Control Language) to COBOL programs, the PARM parameter is used.
Let's go through each option to understand why it is correct or incorrect:
Option A) PROC - The PROC statement is used to define a procedure or a set of JCL statements that can be reused. It is not specifically used to pass data from JCL to COBOL programs.
Option B) PARM - The PARM parameter is used to pass data from the JCL to COBOL programs. It allows you to pass input parameters or arguments to a COBOL program during execution.
Option C) SYSIN - The SYSIN DD statement is used to provide input to programs that read data from the standard input (stdin). It is typically used for passing input data to utility programs rather than COBOL programs.
Option D) Instream data - Instream data is data that is included directly in the JCL rather than being referenced from a separate data file. While it is possible to pass data to COBOL programs using instream data, it is not the recommended or typical method.
The correct answer is B) PARM. This option is correct because the PARM parameter is specifically used to pass data from the JCL to COBOL programs.