You can declare certain
database columns using the FOR BIT DATA clause. These columns, which
generally contain characters, are used to hold binary information.
The CHAR(n), VARCHAR, LONG VARCHAR, and BLOB data types
are the COBOL host variable types that can contain binary data. You
must use these data types when working with columns with the FOR BIT
DATA attribute.
Note: The LONG VARCHAR data type is deprecated and might be removed
in a future release.