Document revision date: 15 July 2002

Batch jobs are programs or DCL command procedures that run independently of your current session. If you are sorting large files, consider submitting the Sort operation as a batch job because the sort will require some time. See Chapter 16, Chapter 13, and Chapter 14 for more information about batch jobs and command procedures.

9.4.1 Command Procedures

Specify the SORT command in your command procedure just as you would write it on the screen. If your default directory does not contain the files to be sorted, explicitly set your default directory in the command procedure or include the directory in the command file specifications.

The following example submits the DCL command procedure SORTJOB.COM as a batch job. The text of the command procedure is shown following the command line:

$ SUBMIT SORTJOB

! SORTJOB.COM ! $ SET DEFAULT [USER.PER] ! Set default to location of input files $ SORT/KEY=(POSITION:10,SIZE:15) EMPLOYEE.LST BYNAME.LST $ TYPE BYNAME.LST $ EXIT

9.4.2 Including Input Records

You can include the input records in the batch job by placing them after the SORT command with one record per line. Individual sort records can be longer than one line.

As with terminal input of records, specify the input file parameter as SYS$INPUT. Use the /FORMAT qualifier to specify the record size in bytes and the approximate file size in blocks. Approximately six 80-character lines equal one block.

The following example demonstrates including input records in a command procedure:

$ SUBMIT SORTJOB

! SORTJOB.COM ! $ SET DEFAULT [USER.PER] $ SORT/KEY=(POSITION:10,SIZE:15) - SYS$INPUT- /FORMAT=(RECORD_SIZE:24,FILE_SIZE:10) - BYNAME.LST $ DECK BST 7828 MCMAHON JANE ADM 7933 ROSENBERG HARRY COM 8102 KNIGHT MARTHA ANS 8042 BENTLEY PETER BIO 7951 LOWELL FRANK $ EOD

9.5 Merging Files

The MERGE command combines up to 10 (the high-performance Sort/Merge utility supports up to 12) sorted files into one ordered output file. You can merge input files that have the same format and have been sorted by the same key fields.

By default, Merge checks the sequence of the records in the input files to be sure they are in order. Specify the /NOCHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier if you do not want Merge to check the order. If you specify the /CHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier and a record is out of order (for example, if you have not sorted one of the input files), Merge reports the following error:

%SORT-W-BAD_ORDER, merge input is out of order

You can use the same qualifiers with the MERGE command as you use with the SORT command with two exceptions:

• You cannot specify a process (/PROCESS) for a Merge operation.
• The /CHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier is used only for a merge operation.

In the following example, the files BYNAME1.LST and BYNAME2.LST have already been sorted by employee name in ascending order. The command shown merges them:

$ MERGE BYNAME1.LST,BYNAME2.LST BYNAME3.LST

The output file BYNAME3.LST contains all the records from both files, BYNAME1.LST and BYNAME2.LST, as shown in the following figure:

To merge files that are sorted using a specific key, you must specify the same key with the /KEY qualifier on the MERGE command line.

If you do not specify a key, Merge uses the default key described in Section 9.2.

In the following example, the files BILLING1.LST and BILLING4.LST were sorted by account number (/KEY=POSITION:5,SIZE:4,DECIMAL). To merge the files into the output file MAILING.LST, enter the following command line:

$ MERGE/KEY=(POSITION:5,SIZE:4,DECIMAL) - _$ BILLING1.LST,BILLING4.LST MAILING.LST

The results of the merge are as follows:

If you want to merge files that you know are in sorted order, you can prevent sequence checking by specifying the /NOCHECK_SEQUENCE qualifier.

9.5.2 Identical Key Fields

As with a Sort operation, when input files contain records with identical key fields, Merge does not necessarily maintain the same order in which the records had appeared in the input file. To maintain the input order of records with identical keys, specify the /STABLE qualifier on the MERGE command line. To retain only one copy of records with identical keys, specify the /NODUPLICATES qualifier.

9.6 Entering Records from a Terminal

Records that you want to sort or merge do not have to be in a file. You can enter the records directly from the terminal as you enter the SORT or MERGE command. The following table describes the procedure:

Step	Task
1	Specify SYS$INPUT as the input file on the SORT or MERGE command line. Use the input file qualifier /FORMAT to specify the size of the longest record, in bytes, and the approximate size of the input file, in blocks.
2	Enter the input records on successive lines. End each record by pressing Return.
3	Press Ctrl/Z to end the file.

The following example demonstrates a Sort operation in which the input records to be sorted are entered directly from the terminal:

$ SORT/KEY=(POSITION:8,SIZE:15) - _$ SYS$INPUT/FORMAT=(RECORD_SIZE:24,FILE_SIZE:10) BYNAME.LST BST 7828 MCMAHON JANE ADM 7933 ROSENBERG HARRY COM 8102 KNIGHT MARTHA ANS 8042 BENTLEY PETER BIO 7951 LOWELL FRANK

This sequence of commands creates the output file BYNAME.LST, which contains the sorted records.

9.7 Using a Sort/Merge Specification File

Sort/Merge allows you to maintain sort definitions and to specify more complex sort criteria in specification files. (The high-performance Sort/Merge utility does not support specification files. Implementation of this feature is deferred to a future OpenVMS Alpha release.) You can use any standard editor, or the DCL CREATE command to create a specification file.

A Sort/Merge specification file allows you to:

• Select records to be included in the Sort/Merge operation
• Reformat the records in the output file
• Use conditional keys or data
• Specify multiple record formats
• Create or modify a collating sequence
• Reassign work files
• Store frequently used Sort/Merge operations

After you complete the specification file, specify the file name using the /SPECIFICATION qualifier. The default file type for a specification file is .SRT.

Each command in the specification file should start with a slash (/). Continuation characters are not required if a command spans more than one line.

Any DCL command qualifiers that you specify on the command line override corresponding entries in the specification file. For example, if you specify the /KEY qualifier in the DCL command line, Sort/Merge ignores the /KEY clause in the specification file.

Generally, there is no required order in which you must specify the qualifiers in a specification file. However, the order becomes significant in the following cases:

• Sorting by more than one key field if you do not specify the NUMBER:n key element
• Describing the output format
• Defining multiple record types

When you specify the FOLD, MODIFICATION, and IGNORE keywords with the /COLLATING_SEQUENCE qualifier, you should specify all MODIFICATION and IGNORE clauses before any FOLD clauses. See Section 9.9.3 for more information about the /COLLATING_SEQUENCE qualifier.

You can include comments in your specification file by beginning each comment line with an exclamation point (!). Unlike DCL command lines, specification files do not need hyphens (-) to continue the line.

Examples

1. This is an example of a specification file that can be used to sort negative and positive data in ascending order:

   ! Specification file for sorting negative and positive data ! in ascending order ! /FIELD=(NAME=SIGN,POS:1,SIZ:1) (1) /FIELD=(NAME=AMT,POS:2,SIZ:4) (2) /CONDITION=(NAME=CHECK1, (3) TEST=(SIGN EQ "-")) /CONDITION=(NAME=CHECK2, (4) TEST=(SIGN EQ " ")) /INCLUDE=(CONDITION=CHECK1, (5) KEY=(AMT,DESCENDING), DATA=SIGN, DATA=AMT) /INCLUDE=(CONDITION=CHECK2, (6) KEY=(AMT,ASCENDING), DATA=SIGN, DATA=AMT)

   
   As you examine the specification file, note the following:

   1. This command line defines a field that begins in byte 1 of the record and is 1 byte long. It assigns the field the name SIGN.
   2. This command line defines a field that begins in byte 2 of the record and is 4 bytes long. It assigns the field the name AMT.
   3. This is a condition statement. If there is a negative sign ( - ) in the SIGN byte, the CHECK1 condition is met.
   4. This is a condition statement. If the SIGN byte is blank, the CHECK2 condition is met.
   5. If the condition CHECK1 is met, then the record is sorted in descending order.
   6. If the condition CHECK2 is met, then the record is sorted in ascending order.
   
   Figure 9-8 shows the result of using the specification file on an input file named BALANCES.LIS.

   Figure 9-8 Output from Using a Specification File

   ---

   

2. /FIELD=(NAME=RECORD_TYPE,POS:1,SIZ:1) ! Record type, 1-byte /FIELD=(NAME=PRICE,POS:2,SIZ:8) ! Price, both files /FIELD=(NAME=TAXES,POS:10,SIZ:5) ! Taxes, both files /FIELD=(NAME=STYLE_A,POS:15,SIZ:10) ! Style, format A file /FIELD=(NAME=STYLE_B,POS:20,SIZ:10) ! Style, format B file /FIELD=(NAME=ZIP_A,POS:25,SIZ:5) ! Zip code, format A file /FIELD=(NAME=ZIP_B,POS:15,SIZ:5) ! Zip code, format B file /CONDITION=(NAME=FORMAT_A, ! Condition test, format A TEST=(RECORD_TYPE EQ "A")) /CONDITION=(NAME=FORMAT_B, ! Condition test, format B TEST=(RECORD_TYPE EQ "B")) /INCLUDE=(CONDITION=FORMAT_A, ! Output format, type A KEY=ZIP_A, DATA=PRICE, DATA=TAXES, DATA=STYLE_A, DATA=ZIP_A) /INCLUDE=(CONDITION=FORMAT_B, ! Output format, type B KEY=ZIP_B, DATA=PRICE, DATA=TAXES, DATA=STYLE_B, DATA=ZIP_B)

   
   In this example, two input files from two different branches of a real estate agency are sorted according to the instructions specified in a specification file. The records in the first file that begin with an A in the first position have this format:

   |A|PRICE|TAXES|STYLE|ZIP| 1 2 10 15 25

   
   The records in the second file that begin with a B in the first position and have the style and zip code fields reversed, are as follows:

   |B|PRICE|TAXES|ZIP|STYLE| 1 2 10 15 20

   
   To sort these two files on the zip code field in the format of record A, first define the fields in both records with the /FIELD qualifiers. Then, specify a test to distinguish between the two types of records with the /CONDITION qualifiers. Finally, the /INCLUDE qualifiers change the record format of type B to record format of type A on output.
   Note that, if you specify either key or data fields in an /INCLUDE qualifier, you must explicitly specify all the key and data fields for the Sort operation in the /INCLUDE qualifier.
   Also note that records that are not type A or type B are omitted from the sort.

3. /COLLATING_SEQUENCE=(SEQUENCE= ("AN","EB","AR","PR","AY","UN","UL", "UG","EP","CT","OV","EC","0"-"9"), MODIFICATION=("'"="19"), FOLD)

   
   This /COLLATING_SEQUENCE qualifier specifies a user-defined sequence that gives each month a unique value in chronological order. For example, if you want to order a file called SEMINAR.DAT according to the date, the file SEMINAR.DAT would be set up as follows:

   16 NOV 1983 Communication Skills 05 APR 1984 Coping with Alcoholism 11 Jan '84 How to Be Assertive 12 OCT 1983 Improving Productivity 15 MAR 1984 Living with Your Teenager 08 FEB 1984 Single Parenting 07 Dec '83 Stress --- Causes and Cures 14 SEP 1983 Time Management

   
   The primary key is the year field; the secondary key is the month field. Because the month field is not numeric and you want the months ordered chronologically, you must define your own collating sequence. You can do this by sorting on the second two letters of each month--in their chronological sequence--giving each month a unique key value.
   The MODIFICATION option specifies that the apostrophe (') be equated to 19, thereby allowing a comparison of '83 and 1984. The FOLD option specifies that uppercase and lowercase letters are treated as equal.
   The output from this Sort operation appears as follows:

   14 SEP 1983 Time Management 12 OCT 1983 Improving Productivity 16 NOV 1983 Communication Skills 07 Dec '83 Stress --- Causes and Cures 11 Jan '84 How to Be Assertive 08 FEB 1984 Single Parenting 15 MAR 1984 Living with Your Teenager 05 APR 1984 Coping with Alcoholism

   
   See Section 9.3 for other examples of creating user-defined collating sequences.

4. /FIELD=(NAME=AGENT,POSITION:20,SIZE:15) /CONDITION=(NAME=AGENCY, TEST=(AGENT EQ "Real-T Trust" OR AGENT EQ "Realty Trust")) /DATA=(IF AGENCY THEN "Realty Trust" ELSE AGENT)

   
   In this example, two real estate files are being sorted. One file refers to an agency as Real-T Trust; the other refers to the same agency as Realty Trust. The /CONDITION and /DATA qualifiers instruct Sort to list the AGENT field in the sorted output file as Realty Trust.

5. /FIELD=(NAME=ZIP,POSITION:60,SIZE:6) /CONDITION=(NAME=LOCATION, TEST=(ZIP EQ "01863")) /KEY=(IF LOCATION THEN 1 ELSE 2)

   
   In this example, all the records with a zip code of 01863 will appear at the beginning of the sorted output file. The conditional test is on the ZIP field, defined with the /FIELD qualifier; the condition is named LOCATION. The values 1 and 2 in this /KEY qualifier signify a relative order for those records that satisfy the condition and those that do not.

6. /FIELD=(NAME=ZIP,POSITION:60,SIZE:6) /CONDITION=(NAME=LOCATION, TEST=(ZIP EQ "01863")) /DATA=(IF LOCATION THEN "NORTH CHELMSFORD" ELSE "Outside district")

   
   In this example, the /CONDITION qualifier tests for the 01863 zip code. The /DATA qualifier specifies that the name of town field will be added to the output record, depending on the test results.

7. /FIELD=(NAME=FFLOAT,POS:1,SIZ:0,F_FLOATING) /CONDITION=(NAME=CFFLOAT,TEST=(FFLOAT GE 100)) /OMIT=(CONDITION=CFFLOAT)

   
   In this example, the number 100 is considered to be an F_FLOATING data type because field FFLOAT is defined as F_FLOATING in the /FIELD qualifier.

8. /FIELD=(NAME=AGENT,POSITION:1,SIZE:5) /FIELD=(NAME=ZIP,POSITION:6,SIZE:3) /FIELD=(NAME=STYLE,POSITION:10,SIZE:5) /FIELD=(NAME=CONDITION,POSITION:16,SIZE:9) /FIELD=(NAME=PRICE,POSITION:26,SIZE:5) /FIELD=(NAME=TAXES,POSITION:32,SIZE:5) /DATA=PRICE /DATA=" " /DATA=TAXES /DATA=" " /DATA=STYLE /DATA=" " /DATA=ZIP /DATA=" " /DATA=AGENT

   
   The /FIELD qualifiers define the fields in the records from an input file that has the following format:

   AGENT ZIP STYLE CONDITION PRICE TAXES

   
   The /DATA qualifiers, which use the field-names defined in the /FIELD qualifiers, reformat the records to create output records of the following format:

   PRICE TAXES STYLE ZIP AGENT

There are several ways in which you can improve the efficiency of a Sort or Merge operation, based on your sorting environment. Use the /STATISTICS qualifier with the SORT or MERGE command to get information about the variables in your sorting environment.

After you examine the statistics display, consider any of the optimization options presented in the following sections.

When you enter the SORT or MERGE command with the /STATISTICS qualifier, you see output similar to the following:

$ SORT/STATISTICS PAGEANT.LIS DOCUMENT.LIS OpenVMS Sort/Merge Statistics Records read: 3 (1) Input record length: 26 Records sorted: 3 Internal length: 28 Records output: 3 Output record length: 26 Working set extent: 16384 (2) Sort tree size: 42 Virtual memory: 392 Number of initial runs: 0 Direct I/O: 10 Maximum merge order: 0 Buffered I/O: 11 Number of merge passes: 0 Page faults: 158 (3) Work file allocation: 0 (4) Elapsed time: 00:00:00.54 Elapsed CPU: 00:00:00.03 (5)

As you examine the fields, note the following:

1. Records read
   Lists the number of records that were read during a Sort operation. See Section 9.8.2 for information on selectively omitting records from a Sort operation.
2. Working set extent
   Shows how many blocks are reserved to perform the sort operation. See Section 9.8.4 for information on making your working set larger.
3. Page faults
   Shows how many times the operating system has transferred parts of your process from physical memory to your paging device. See Section 9.8.4 for more information on preventing paging.
4. Work file allocation
   Shows how much disk space is reserved for your work file. See Section 9.8.3 for more information on work files.
5. Elapsed CPU
   Shows how much CPU time the operating system took to process the sort operation. See Section 9.8.1 for information on saving time by choosing different methods of sorting.

Sort defines four processes for sorting data internally: record, tag, address and indexed. (The high-performance Sort/Merge utility supports only the record process. Implementation of tag, address, and index processes is deferred to a future OpenVMS Alpha release.) RECORD is the default process. The type of process you choose affects the performance of the Sort operation as well as storage requirements. See Section 9.2.6 for information about the different sort processes.

Before you select a sorting process, consider the following:

• How you will use the output file
  • Because record and tag sorting generate files that contain entire sorted records, these reordered files are ready to be used.
  • Both address- and index-sorted output files can be processed by a program written in a programming language such as Pascal, Fortran, MACRO, or C.
  • Address sorting creates an output file of pointers to the records in the input file. This list consists of binary RFAs plus a file number when sorting multiple input files. A program accesses the records by using the pointers.
  • Index sorting creates an output file containing both RFAs and key fields plus a file number when sorting multiple files. The format of these key fields is the same as in the input files. If the program needs the key field contents for a decision during future processing, select index sorting rather than address sorting.
  
  If you need to reorder records from one file in several ways for different purposes, store several output files from address or index sorting. Use the output files to access the records in the main file in the sorted order that you want.
• The temporary storage space available for sorting
  Tag sorting uses less temporary storage space than record sorting. Because record sorting keeps the record intact during the sort, it uses much more work space when the files are large. Address and index sorting use little temporary storage space.
• The type of input and output device used
  Record sorting is the only process that can accept input from cards, magnetic tape, and disks. Output from tag and record sorting can go to any output device. Output from address and index sorting must go to a device that accepts binary data.
• The differences in speed
  If you plan to retrieve the sorted records at some point in the operation, record sorting is usually the fastest process. Otherwise, address and index sorting are the fastest processes.

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