MERGE

If more than one input file is involved in the reconciliation process, the MERGE function sorts the files involved and merges them into one output file referenced by the SORTOUT DD statement.

The Preparation stage, using either the WRITE or SETKEY function (but not both), must precede the Merge stage. The output of the WRITE function, or the original input file when using the SETKEY function, is the input for the MERGE function.

The output of the MERGE function is a file containing all the records from the original files. The SORTOUT DD statement must be included in the job that invokes the reconciliation rule. For more information, see DD Statements.

The next block in the reconciliation rule is usually an ON DDNAME SORTOUT block that scans the output of the MERGE function.

Note: The SORTOUT file should be allocated with the same LRECL (record length parameter) as the SORTIN file.