Don, we call quiz, quick, etc for various reasons from inside our cobol by just issuing a file equation that points to the Quiz source (and the quiz source must have a GO and EXIT), then run Quiz.whatever and when the Quiz is done, reset the file equation that pointed tot he Quiz source. here is a sample program: (i included the copylibs source) identification division. program-id. smalprog. data division. working-storage section. * copy CICMDVS. ********************************************************* ** ** COPYLIB ENTRY: CICMDVS ** ** AUTHOR: ERIC KUNDL ** ** Constants and Variables used when calling ** ** HP Command Intrinsic. ** ** used with copylib CICMDS ** ********************************************************* 01 CiCommandLine. 05 CiCommand pic x(200) value spaces. 05 pic x(01) value %15. 01 CiParm pic s9(04) comp. 01 CiPrintAllMsgs pic s9(04) comp value +0. 01 CiPrintWarnMsgs pic s9(04) comp value +1. 01 CiPrintNoMsgs pic s9(04) comp value +2. 01 CiError pic s9(04) comp. procedure division. begin. move "FILE QUIZUSE=QSOURCE.PUB" TO CiCommand compute CiError = 0 compute CiParm = 0 perform CallCommand-AllMsgs move "RUN QUIZ.CURRENT.COGNOS;info='NOLIST'" to CiCommand compute CiError = 0 compute CiParm = 0 perform CallCommand-AllMsgs move "RESET QUIZUSE" TO CiCommand compute CiError = 0 compute CiParm = 0 perform CallCommand-AllMsgs stop run. * copy CICMDS. ********************************************************* ** ** COPYLIB ENTRY: CICMDS ** ** AUTHOR: ERIC KUNDL ** ** Paragraphs to call HPCICOMMAND. ** ** Use with the copylib: CICMDVS ** ********************************************************* CallCommand-AllMsgs. call intrinsic "HPCICOMMAND" using CiCommandLine CiError CiParm CiPrintAllMsgs end-call. CallCommand. call intrinsic "HPCICOMMAND" using CiCommandLine CiError CiParm CiPrintNoMsgs end-call. / hope this helped. -- eric kundl [log in to unmask] Don Paterwic <[log in to unmask]> wrote in article <[log in to unmask]>... > can this be done? I have a cobol program that need to get a > unique identifier, one that is already generated on the system > by a quiz program (if I can use it I don't need to worry about > logic to replicate number). Is it posssible to call this quiz > program (executable) from a cobol program and use quizes output > result to a file? Thanks >