VMS Help  —  COBOL  DATA_DIVISION, dd_record-description-entry, 1format
  A data description entry specifies the characteristics of a data item.

  Format 1 -

  level-number  [ data-name ]
                [ FILLER    ]

    [REDEFINES other-data-item]

    [IS EXTERNAL]

    [IS GLOBAL]

    [ { PICTURE } IS character-string ]
    [ { PIC     }                     ]

    [             { BINARY          } ]
    [             { COMPUTATIONAL   } ]
    [             { COMP            } ]
    [             { COMPUTATIONAL-1 } ]
    [             { COMP-1          } ]
    [             { COMPUTATIONAL-2 } ]
    [ [USAGE IS ] { COMP-2          } ]
    [             { COMPUTATIONAL-3 } ]
    [             { COMP-3          } ]
    [             { COMPUTATIONAL-5 } ]
    [             { COMP-5          } ]
    [             { COMPUTATIONAL-X } ]
    [             { COMP-X          } ]
    [             { DISPLAY         } ]
    [             { INDEX           } ]
    [             { PACKED-DECIMAL  } ]
    [             { POINTER         } ]
    [             { POINTER-64      } ]

    [ [SIGN IS ] { LEADING  } [ SEPARATE CHARACTER ] ]
    [            { TRAILING }                        ]

    [ OCCURS  table-size TIMES                                        ]
    [   [ { ASCENDING  } KEY IS {key-name} ... ] ...                  ]
    [   [ { DESCENDING }                       ]                      ]
    [                                                                 ]
    [     [INDEXED BY {ind-name} ... ]                                ]
    [                                                                 ]
    [ OCCURS min-times TO max-times TIMES DEPENDING ON depending-item ]
    [   [ { ASCENDING  } KEY IS {key-name} ... ] ...                  ]
    [   [ { DESCENDING }                       ]                      ]
    [                                                                 ]
    [     [INDEXED BY {ind-name} ... ]                                ]

    [ { SYNCHRONIZED } [ LEFT  ] ]
    [ { SYNC         } [ RIGHT ] ]

    [ { JUSTIFIED } RIGHT ]
    [ { JUST      }       ]

    [BLANK WHEN ZERO]

    [         { lit                    }]
    [VALUE IS { EXTERNAL external-name }] .
    [         { REFERENCE data-name    }]
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