SORT-MERGE/XL General User's Guide (32650-90883)
24 Chapter2
Getting Started With SORT-MERGE/XL
Translation Tables
ASCII/EBCDIC
ASCII and EBCDIC are the standard collating sequences used by SORT-MERGE/XL and
the data processing industry. The >ALTSEQ command allows you to modify these sequences
to suit your particular application. Refer to Chapter 6 for more information on the >ALTSEQ
command and collating sequences.
Native Language Collating Sequences
The >LANGUAGE command allows you to use the collating sequences for native languages
other than English if they are configured on your system. The use of native language
collating sequences is described in the Native Language Programmer's Guide. Refer to
Chapter 6 for additional information on the >LANGUAGE command and Appendix C for a list
of native language collating sequences.
User-Defined Sequences
The >ALTSEQ command allows you to alter the standard ASCII or EBCDIC collating
sequence to suit your application. Refer to Chapter 6 for additional information on the
>ALTSEQ command.
Ascending/ Descending Order
SORT-MERGE/XL allows you to arrange records in either an ascending or descending
order. Unless you specify a descending order (for example 9, 7, 1 or Z, Y, X),
SORT-MERGE/XL automatically orders the data in the ascending order (for example 1, 7,
9 or X, Y, Z). To specify a descending order use the DESC parameter of the >KEY command.
Refer to Chapter 6 for additional information about the >KEY command.
Translation Tables
SORT-MERGE/XL arranges records corresponding to the sequence shown in the system
translation table. The translation table follows the standard 128-character ASCII
sequence, where each character is represented internally by a numeric value from 0 to 127.
For example, the numeric value for F is 70 (decimal). The table lists the characters in
ascending order by numeric value. If the collating sequence is altered with the >ALTSEQ
command, those changes are reflected in the translation table. Refer to the discussion
about the >SHOW command in Chapter 6 for additional information on translation tables.
SORT-MERGE/XL Files
SORT-MERGE/XL uses several different types of files during its operation. These file types