4GL_EXTRA_DB_COLS_OK allows for the database table to have more columns than the COBOL program's corresponding file descriptor.
If the 4GL_EXTRA_DB_COLS_OK variable is set to "True" (on, yes), its default value, the number of columns in the database table do not have to match up with the number of fields in the COBOL program that is accessing the table. The database table can have more columns than the COBOL program references; however, the COBOL program may not have more fields than the database table.
Ensure that these "extra" columns are set correctly when new rows are added to the table. This is database-dependent. For example, under Sybase, the columns should either have a default value or should allow NULL. Ensuring that the column value is set is important because the SQL generated by the Acu4GL interface will not reference the extra columns when inserting rows. This configuration variable can also take values of "False" (off, no).