Free Self-Paced Course
Advanced Cobol
10 Weeks · 305 Pages · Computer Science — Programming Languages
This free, self-paced course provides a structured 10-week syllabus for learning Advanced COBOL. Each module builds on the previous one, guiding you from foundational concepts through advanced topics with 305 pages of in-depth reading material. All content is drawn from our comprehensive Advanced COBOL textbook, organized into a clear weekly schedule that you can follow at your own pace.
Weekly Syllabus
- Part II: Advanced DB2 for COBOL
- Chapter 6: DB2 Optimizer Internals
- Chapter 7: Advanced SQL for COBOL: Multi-Row Operations, Temporal Tables, Recursive CTEs, and OLAP Functions
- Chapter 8: DB2 Locking, Concurrency, and Deadlock Resolution: The Chapter That Prevents 2am Pages
- Chapter 9: DB2 Utilities for the COBOL Developer: REORG, RUNSTATS, COPY, RECOVER, and LOAD at Scale
- Chapter 10: Stored Procedures and User-Defined Functions in COBOL
- Chapter 11: DB2 Performance Diagnosis: Reading EXPLAIN Output, Interpreting DSN_STATEMNT_TABLE, and Solving Real Problems
- Chapter 12: DB2 Application Patterns: Batch Window Optimization, Cursor Management at Scale, and Dynamic SQL Security
- Part VI: Security, Compliance, and Operational Excellence
- Chapter 28: Mainframe Security for COBOL Developers: RACF, Encryption, Secure Coding, and PCI/HIPAA Compliance
- Chapter 29: Capacity Planning and Growth Management
- Chapter 30: Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity: GDPS, Sysplex Failure Domains, and Testing Your DR Plan
- Chapter 31: Operational Automation: REXX, JCL Procedures, Automation Products, and Self-Healing Batch Streams
- Part VII: Modernization Engineering
- Chapter 32: Modernization Strategy: Rehost, Refactor, Replatform, Replace — Making the Right Decision
- Chapter 33: Strangler Fig Pattern for Mainframes
- Chapter 34: COBOL-to-Cloud Patterns: Running COBOL on AWS, Azure, and GCP (and When You Shouldn't)
- Chapter 35: AI-Assisted COBOL — Using LLMs for Code Understanding, Documentation Generation, and Assisted Refactoring
- Chapter 36: DevOps for the Mainframe — Git, Jenkins/Zowe, CI/CD Pipelines, and Automated Testing on z/OS
- Chapter 37: The Hybrid Architecture: Designing Systems Where COBOL and Cloud-Native Coexist for the Next 20 Years
How to Use This Syllabus
- Read at your own pace. Each module is designed for roughly one week of study, but there are no deadlines. Spend as much time as you need on each topic.
- Follow in order or jump around. The modules are arranged sequentially for a structured learning path, but feel free to skip to any topic that interests you most.
- No sign-up needed. Every page in this syllabus links directly to free, open-access content. Just click a topic and start reading immediately.
Ready to Start Learning?
Access the full Advanced COBOL textbook with all chapters, examples, and exercises.
Open the Full Textbook