HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Importance of the Column 8 Entry
Through your Record Type Specifications you tell XSORT which records you
want sorted. You do so by instructing it to compare data in one
field--factor 1--against a constant or data in another field on the same
record--factor 2. The result of the comparisons determines whether or
not the record will be sorted. The sort program sees your data as
nothing more than a series of electronic bits. It must be told how to
interpret the data:
* Whether the data is numeric or character.
* If it is numeric, whether it is packed or unpacked.
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| | | |
| Column 8 Entry | Comparison Type | Maximum Field Length* |
| | | |
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| | | |
| C | Character. | 256 characters |
| | | |
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| | | |
| P | Numeric data is | 14 bytes (27 packed digits and sign)** |
| | packed. | |
| | | |
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| | | |
| U | Numeric data is | 28 characters (unpacked digits) |
| | unpacked. | |
| | | |
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* Maximum field length applies to both factor 1 and factor 2 data.
** If you specify an alternate collating sequence, you cannot use packed
data for record selection factors or sort control fields. Do not
enter a P in column 8 of your include or omit Record Type
Specifications or in column 8 of your Field Description specs used to
define control fields.
NOTE See Appendix C for charts which will be helpful in data formatting.