Multiple choice technology mainframe

What is the representation of COMP variable ?

  1. Binary storage

  2. Packed Decimal

  3. Hexa decimal

  4. Decimal
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A Correct answer
Explanation

In COBOL, COMP (or COMPUTATIONAL) usage specifies binary storage format for numeric data items. This provides efficient computational storage as opposed to character-based DISPLAY format or packed decimal COMP-3 format.

AI explanation

In COBOL, a field defined with USAGE COMP (computational) is stored in binary format rather than as printable characters, which makes arithmetic operations on it faster and more compact than DISPLAY (character/decimal) storage. This is why COMP is chosen for counters and fields used heavily in calculations, as opposed to COMP-3 (packed decimal) or plain decimal/display formats.

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