During compilation, I receive the message:

CSQL-I-018: Invoking ORACLE8 Precompiler/Translator

Even though I am not using Oracle version 8, instead I am using Oracle 9 or 10 or 10g.

This informational message pertains not to the version of Oracle you are using, but to the version of the COBSQL pre-compiler.  For more information, refer to the Server Express documentation, Database Access Guide, Chapter 9: COBSQL.

To use COBSQL at all in the first place, you must specify the compiler directive PREPROCESS(COBSQL).  Having specified that, there are several COBSQL options you can specify in addition.  One such COBSQL option is named COBSQLTYPE (or CSQLT for short).

The documentation says:

COBSQLTYPE directive

 --- Specifies which precompiler to use.

Syntax:

 --- COBSQLTYPE={ORACLE | ORACLE8 | SYBASE | INFORMIX-NEW}

As you can see, this directive could take one of four possible values.  Pertaining to Oracle, there are only two values: ORACLE or ORACLE8.   The documentation also says:

Oracle 8 (and later) Directives for COBSQL

 --- Use the option ORACLE8 to use Pro*COBOL 8.x or later with COBSQL.

This means for Oracle versions 8 or greater (including Oracle version 9 and 10 and 10g etc), it is correct and necessary to specify COBSQLTYPE=ORACLE8.

During compile time, this setting COBSQLTYPE=ORACLE8 is acknowledged by the informational message:

CSQL-I-018: Invoking ORACLE8 Precompiler/Translator

The preprocessor originally written for Oracle 8 also works, and should be used, for all later versions of Oracle as well.