Book excerpt: Explains COBOL as it exists in the new ANSI standard. Designed for advanced programmers, it eases the transition from general programming training to the programming done in business applications using COBOL. Through hundreds of practical examples, it explores the intricacies of COBOL without spending a lot of time on basic computer concepts. With an emphasis on cross-system application and development, it describes both IBM's VS COBOL II for the mainframe environment and Microsoft's COBOL for the personal computer.