data-name-1

Specifies a KEY data item on which the SORT statement will be based. Each such data-name must identify a data item in a record associated with file-name-1. The data-names following the word KEY are listed from left to right in the SORT statement in order of decreasing significance without regard to how they are divided into KEY phrases. The left-most data-name is the major key, the next data-name is the next most significant key, and so forth. The following rules apply:

• A specific KEY data item must be physically located in the same position and have the same data format in each input file. However, it need not have the same data-name.

• If file-name-1 has more than one record description, then the KEY data items need be described in only one of the record descriptions.

• If file-name-1 contains variable-length records, all of the KEY data-items must be contained within the first n character positions of the record, where n equals the minimum records size specified for file-name-1.

• KEY data items must not contain an OCCURS clause or be subordinate to an item that contains an OCCURS clause.

• KEY data items can be qualified.

• KEY data items cannot be group items that contain variable occurrence data items.

• X KEY data items can be floating-point items.

• X KEY data items cannot be variably-located.

• X >_Workstation_> Under AIX, OS/2, and Windows, KEY data items
  X cannot be windowed date fields. <_Workstation_<
  
  X >_Host_> Under OS/390 and VM, KEY data items can be windowed date
  X fields, under these conditions:
  • X The GIVING phrase must not specify an indexed file, because
    X the (binary) ordering assumed or imposed by the file system
    X conflicts with the windowed date ordering provided in the sort
    X output. Attempting to write the windowed date merge output to
    X such an indexed file will either fail or re-impose binary
    X ordering, depending on how the file is accessed (the ACCESS
    X MODE in the file-control entry).

  • X If an alphanumeric windowed date field is specified as a KEY
    X for a SORT statement, the collating sequence in effect for the
    X merge operation must be EBCDIC. Thus the COLLATING SEQUENCE
    X phrase of the SORT statement or, if this phrase is not
    X specified, then any PROGRAM COLLATING SEQUENCE clause in the
    X OBJECT-COMPUTER paragraph, must not specify a collating
    X sequence other than EBCDIC or NATIVE.

  
  X If the SORT statement meets these conditions, then the sort
  X operation takes advantage of SORT Year 2000 features, assuming
  X that the execution environment includes a sort product that
  X supports century windowing.
  
  | A year-last windowed date field can be specified as a KEY for a
  | SORT statement, and can thereby exploit the corresponding century
  | windowing capability of the sort product.
  
  X For more information on using windowed date fields as KEY data
  X items, see the IBM COBOL Programming Guide for your platform.
  X <_Host_<

• When ASCENDING is specified, the sequence is from the lowest key value to the highest key value.

• When DESCENDING is specified, the sequence is from the highest key value to the lowest.

• If the KEY data item is alphabetic, alphanumeric, alphanumeric-edited, or numeric-edited, the sequence of key values depends on the collating sequence used (see "COLLATING SEQUENCE Phrase" in topic 6.2.34.3).

• X >_Host_> Under OS/390 and VM, if the KEY is a DBCS item, the sequence
  X of the KEY values is based on the binary collating sequence of the
  X hexadecimal values of the DBCS characters. <_Host_<

• X >_Workstation_> Under AIX, OS/2, and Windows, if the KEY is a DBCS
  X item, then the sequence of the KEY values is based on a collation
  X sequence according to the COLLSEQ compiler option:
  • X If the COLLSEQ(NATIVE) compiler option is in effect, then the
    X collating sequence is determined by the locale. For information
    X on the locale, see Appendix F, "Locale Considerations (Workstation
    X Only)" in topic APPENDIX1.6.

  • X Otherwise, the collating sequence is determined by the binary
    X values of the DBCS characters.

  
  X <_Workstation_<

• X If the KEY is an external floating-point item, the compiler will treat
  X the data item as character data, rather than numeric data. The
  X sequence in which the records are sorted depends on the collating
  X sequence used.

• X If the KEY data item is internal floating-point, the sequence of key
  X values will be in numeric order.

• The key comparisons are performed according to the rules for comparison of operands in a relation condition (see "Relation Condition" under "Conditional Expressions" in topic 6.1.6).

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