HP 3000 Manuals

HP COBOL II/XL Reference Manual

Files 

In COBOL, a file is a collection of records that is identified by a
unique name and is currently recognizable by your program.  The name
allows you to reference the file in your program.  Other specifications
define how records are organized within the file with respect to the
physical device on which the file is stored.  The specifications for the
file are defined in the INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION of the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION
and the FILE SECTION of the DATA DIVISION.

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation