Application Performance with Dynamic Binding for Native COBOL

Note: The following information applies to native code only.

The call speed of a dynamically bound application in native code is roughly the same as an application directly linked to the shared run-time systems.

The first call to the run-time system by a dynamically bound application invokes the dynamic binder. The dynamic binder queries .dll files within the process, accesses the machine registry, and finally, if necessary loads the appropriate run-time system, determining the entry point address. Following this, first-time calls to other entry points also go through the dynamic binder, but they need to determine the entry point address only. Successive calls to previously called entry-points go directly to the bound entry-point.

Applications that use dynamic run-time system binding might be slightly larger than applications linked in the normal way. This is because a dynamically bound application requires the binding code and strings for each run-time system entry point referenced in the application.