File status 47: READ on a file not open for input

What it means

Status 47 is a logic error. READ needs the file to be open for input, either in INPUT mode or in I-O mode. When the file is closed, or open in OUTPUT or EXTEND mode, the READ fails with 47.

The rule is the same for QSAM, VSAM and line-sequential files. Under the older CMPR2 behavior 47 was reported as 92.

In practice 47 is nearly always a side effect. The OPEN before it failed, perhaps with 35 or 39, and the program didn't check the status, so the file never became open. The first READ then fails with 47, and that's the status people notice. Look for the earlier failure before changing anything around the READ.

Common causes

• The OPEN failed and its status wasn't checked.
• The file was opened OUTPUT or EXTEND, but the program also reads it.
• The file was closed, for example in an error routine, and a later paragraph reads it again.
• Another program in the run unit opened its own copy of the file, and this program's FD was never opened.

How to find the problem

1. Find the OPEN for the file and DISPLAY its status. A failed OPEN is the most likely cause.
2. Check the open mode on the OPEN statement. READ needs INPUT or I-O.
3. Trace any CLOSE of the file that can run before the READ.

How to fix it

• Check the status after every OPEN and stop with a message naming the file if it fails.
• Open the file INPUT for reading only, or I-O if the program also has to update it.
• Keep an open flag per file and test it before reading, if the flow is complex.

Last reviewed 2026-10-18 by the WND Software team. Written in our own words. For the full reference, check IBM’s Enterprise COBOL documentation for your release.