COBOL TEST Compiler Option.

The TEST compiler option produces object code that enables Debug Tool to perform batch and interactive debugging. The amount of debugging support available depends on which TEST suboptions you use.

The TEST option also allows you to request that symbolic variables be included in the formatted dump produced by Language Environment.

When using the SYM suboption of the TEST option, you can control where the symbolic information will  be kept.

If you use TEST(,SYM,NOSEPARATE), the symbolic information will be part of the object  module, which could result in a much larger object module.

If you use TEST(,SYM,SEPARATE), the symbolic information will be placed in a separate file and will be loaded only as needed.

Using TEST with a value other than NONE can cause significant performance degradation when used in a production environment since this additional code occurs at each COBOL statement.

Hence, the TEST option with a value other than NONE should be used only when debugging an application. Additionally, when TEST is used with a value other than NONE, the OPTIMIZE option is disabled. For production runs, NOTEST or TEST(NONE) is recommended.

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