SYNCSORT: Diagnostic: Investigate an Issue with SyncSort in a z/OS Environment

SyncSort has the following functions:

• SORT - to rearrange dataset records in chronological or alphabetical order, producing a specific sequential form
• MERGE - to combine as many as 32 sequential datasets into one dataset under the same sequence
• COPY - to reproduce a file, bypassing the sorting process entirely

SYNCSORT uses the following DDNAMES:

• SORTIN - Defines the input dataset for a sorting application; not required for a merge-only operation.
• SORTIN01 - SORTIN16: Define the input datasets for a merging application; not required for a sorting application.
• SORTWK01 - SORTWK16: Define intermediate storage datasets for a sorting application; not required for a merge.
• SORTOUT - Defines the output dataset for a sorting or merging application; should not be the same as the SORTIN dataset because a SYSTEM failure could then destroy both your output and your data.
• SYSOUT - Is used as the SYSTEM message dataset.
• SYSIN - Defines the application control dataset.

JCL for Using SyncSort:
//SORTIT JOB (,,time,lines),'your name',CLASS=class
/*ROUTE PRINT node.location
//SORT   EXEC PGM=SORT,PARM='options'
//SORTLIB  DD DSN=SYS1.SORTLIB,DISP=SHR
//SYSOUT   DD SYSOUT=A
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=A
//SORTWK01 DD UNIT=SYSDA,SPACE=(CYL,(5,3))
//SORTWK02 DD UNIT=SYSDA,SPACE=(CYL,(5,3))
//SORTWK03 DD UNIT=SYSDA,SPACE=(CYL,(5,3))
//SORTIN   DD DSN=your.input.data.set,DISP=OLD
//SORTOUT  DD ... DD statement for output data set ...
//SYSIN    DD *
 ... SyncSort control statements  ...
SyncSort uses the following program control statements:
 SORT, MERGE, ALTSEQ, END, INCLUDE, INREC, MODS, OMIT, OUTREC, RECORD, and SUM ;
...

To diagnose an issue with SYNCSORT:

• SYNCSORT Job Log
• SYNCSORT Control Statements (SYSIN)
• Logical Partition (LPAR) SYSLOG