SORT-MERGE/XL General User's Guide (32650-90883)

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or merged. In SORT-MERGE/XL it is possible to collate characters or records according to
ASCII, EBCDIC, Native Language, or user-defined sequences.
Column A method of measuring the length of a record or line. A standard line consists of
80 columns.
Command A system-defined word that directs the operating system, subsystem, or a
utility program to perform a specific operation.
Compatibility Mode (CM) Compatibility Mode provides object code compatibility
between Mode allows Hewlett-Packard customers to move applications and data from
their current systems to the 900 Series HP 3000 without changes or recompilation.
Continuation Character SORT-MERGE/XL uses the ampersand ( ) as its recognizable
continuation character. By entering an as the last character on a line, the record is
continued onto a second, third, or any number of subsequent lines.
Control Unit A part of the Central Processing Unit (CPU) that regulates the Execution
Unit (EU) and oversees the instruction cycle.
CPU Time The amount of time, in seconds, that a user, group, or account has used the
CPU (Central Processing Unit).
Cursor A flashing rectangle or blinking underline character on a display screen that
marks the position where text or data can be entered, changed, or deleted.
Decimal Value A decimal representation of an ASCII character. For example, the
character "A" has the ASCII binary code value 01000001 and the decimal code value of 65.
Delimiter A character that marks the end of a string of characters such as those
comprising a command. Common delimiters are a comma (,), semicolon (;), equal sign ( ),
or a
Return.
Descending Record Characters or records are collated in a descending order when the
sequence is Z to A or 9 to 0.
Display File When the >SHOW command is used to display either the translation table or
the collating sequence, the information is sent to a system-created file known as the
display file.
EDIT/V An HP 3000 text editor, supplied with MPE XL, used to create and manipulate
ASCII files.
Error Messages Messages describing errors occurring during either an interactive
session or a batch job. The messages are reported to the standard list device, which is
usually a terminal (for a session) or a line printer (for a job).
Execute To carry out an instruction or perform a routine.
Execution Unit (EU) The part of the Central Processing Unit (CPU) containing the