Tutorial: Object-Oriented WCF COBOL Service using SQL

In this tutorial you expose the functionality of the OOSqlBookWrapper program as a WCF service and use a console application as a client to communicate with it using SQL.

Prerequisites

  • Review the Assumptions and Before you begin sections in the Tutorials: OpenESQL .NET Code topic to ensure that your environment is set up properly.
  • Before attempting this tutorial, you must first work through Tutorial: Prepare the SQL Server Environment.
  • The features demonstrated in this tutorial require that you have installed the Visual COBOL WCF Tools feature. If this feature is missing, see To install missing features from the IDE for installation instructions.

Demonstration solution - OOSqlBookWCF

The OOSqlBookWCF solution and project you create for this tutorial uses the following provided demonstration files in addition to the BookDemo base application:

sqlbook.cbl
In this tutorial, sqlbook.cbl is written in native OO COBOL. The program reads and writes to the SQL Server BookDemo database that contains the book records.
ISqlBook.cbl
Defines the WCF service and data contracts. Methods that define the operations in the OOSQLBookWrapper program are marked with the System.ServiceModel.OperationContract() attribute. These are exposed via service endpoints. The OOSqlBookWrapperWCF.SqlBook class marked with the DataContract attribute exposes the data returned to the OOSqlBookWrapper program.
SqlBookService.cbl
The WCF service.
app.config
Defines service endpoints that enable the WCF service to call OOSqlBookWrapper code.
BookDemo Base Application
Important: The object-oriented version of the SqlLegacyBook project used in this tutorial, OOSqlLegacyBook, does not include the book-rec.cpy copybook. Instead, it includes an alternative, .NET version of book-rec-dotnet.cpy to define book-detail host variables. While the filename of this copybook is the same as the filename of the book-rec-dotnet.cpy copybook included in the object-oriented version of the SqlBookWrapper project (OOSqlBookWrapper), they are different files containing different code and each resides in the folder for the project to which it applies. These copybook files are named the same solely to indicate that in the OO version of the BookDemo application, they are both coded in terms of a .NET project rather than a legacy project.
Note: The solution used in this tutorial is also provided with the Visual COBOL Samples Browser in completed form. To review the completed solution:
  1. Start the Visual COBOL Samples Browser. If you need instructions, see To start the Samples Browser.
  2. From the drop-down menu at the top of the Visual COBOL Samples Browser, select Show .NET only.
  3. In the left pane, click SQL.
  4. In the right pane, click OESQL - OO WCF Book (.NET, VS).

Sequence

To complete this tutorial, progress through these topics in the order presented here. The bottom of each topic provides Next topic and Previous topic navigational links to help you proceed in the proper sequence:

  1. Set Up the OOSqlBookWCF Solution
    Takes you through the steps required to set up the OOSqlBookWCF Visual Studio solution used in this tutorial.
  2. Configure and Test the OO WCF Service Library
    Walks you through the process of configuring a service endpoint, and testing the service via the WCF Test Client application.
  3. Add the OOSqlClientWCF Client Project
    Provides instructions for adding a client project to the OOSqlBookWCF solution.
  4. Configure and Run the OOSqlClientWCF Client
    Guides you through the process of configuring the client endpoint and running the client in Debug mode.
Parent topic: Tutorials: OpenESQL .NET Code
Related concepts
Tutorials: OpenESQL .NET Code
Tutorial: Prepare the SQL Server Environment
Related tasks
To install missing features from the IDE
To start the Samples Browser