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

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Preface
SORT-MERGE/XL is a subsystem of the MPE/iX operating system on the 900 Series HP
3000. It allows you to sort data in files, based on one or more data items. You can also
merge two or more sorted files into a single, new merged file.
This guide is written for general and experienced users. It introduces how to use
SORT-MERGE/XL in both interactive and batch job modes of operation. It includes a
reference section on the commands used to specify what will be sorted or merged. If you
are interested in information on using this subsystem programmatically, refer to the
SORT-MERGE/XL Programmer's Guide (32650-90080).
This guide is part of the General User's Series of manuals. See the documentation map at
the front of this guide for a description of how it relates to the other manuals in the series.
Organization of this Manual
To help you find the information you need, a brief description of each chapter and appendix
in the guide follows:
Chapter 1 Introduction to SORT-MERGE/XL is an overview of how and what you can
sort or merge, and an explanation of the basic procedure.
Chapter 2 Getting Started With SORT-MERGE/XL is an introduction to commands,
key data items, collating sequences, translation tables, and the types of
files used by the subsystem.
Chapter 3 Using SORT/XL Interactively is a discussion on how to perform various
sort functions in an interactive session.
Chapter 4 Using MERGE/XL Interactively is a discussion on how to perform various
merge functions in an interactive session.
Chapter 5 Using SORT-MERGE/XL in Batch Mode is a discussion on how to build a
job file, begin its operation, schedule it for processing, and terminate it, if
necessary.
Chapter 6 SORT-MERGE/XL Commands is a reference section for SORT-MERGE/XL
commands, including options, parameters, operation, and in most cases,
examples.
Appendix A Error Messages is a listing of all SORT-MERGE/XL subsystems.
Appendix B ASCII/EBCDIC Tables contains ASCII/EBCDIC tables showing codes
values in character, decimal, octal, and hexadecimal formats.